Chester Cathedral

[sheeats]

The photos that Boris posted the new Co-Cathedral downtown made me want to share some photos I took of my favorite cathedral: Chester Cathedral in Chester, England. It's one of the oldest cathedrals in the world, built in stages from 1093 until 1537. The site itself was used for Christian worship since Roman times, however (Chester was originally built as a Roman fort in AD 79). Chester Cathedral is perhaps best known for its intricate wooden quire, which was originally built in 1380.

It was raining that day (imagine that! a rainy day in northern England!), so it was difficult to get decent pictures outside. The pictures truly don't do the place justice.

Funny thing is that Chester Cathedral is a quite well-known tourist destination for the English, but most Americans don't usually venture outside of London or Bath when they come over -- much less head this far north -- so I was quite the novelty act in Chester. Lots of, "Why on earth would you come to Chester on holiday?" and amused but appreciative chuckles.

The architecture in Chester itself, aside from their cathedral, is incredibly interesting. It's a diverse mixture of Roman, Tudor, Jacobean, Georgian, Victorian and -- most famously -- medieval. But those are pictures for another thread.