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 With over 2,000 years of ‘wall-to-wall’ history, Roman Chester is one of Europe’s top heritage cities - and it is easy to see why!
 At every turn, the city resonates with pointers to the past - from Georgian houses on quaint cobbled streets, the half-timbered Bear and Billet built in 1664 down to the nearby 14th Century Old Dee Bridge.
The city boasts a complete two-mile circuit of red sandstone Roman Walls, a partly excavated Roman Amphitheatre - the largest in Britain - as well as a Norman Cathedral, and the famous Rows - the two tiered galleries of shops, built in the traditional black and white ‘magpie’ style. The Grosvenor Museum - recently restored - and Cheshire Military Museum provide ample scope for browsing into bygone times.
Familiar local landmarks have endured the ravages of time.
Tantalising clues to the past pepper the county. A vast treasure trove of history awaits discovery. The only puzzle is knowing where to start....
Snapshot in time -The way we worked
In 1901 ....
 In Macclesfield town more than 6,500 people worked in the silk industry
In Crewe, out of a male population of 21,500, more than 2,500 worked on the railways and 4,500 in engineering
In Chester a high proportion of people - 2,322 - worked in domestic service
In Northwich over 1000 people worked in the chemical industry - of which more than 800 worked in alkali manufacture
In Congleton 776 men and women worked to produce fustian - a durable cotton fabric mixed with flax or wool
 Standing high above the Cheshire Plain, the 13th century ancient fortress of Beeston Castle is one of the county’s most famous features, commanding views of the wide sweep of Cheshire from the Welsh Mountains to the distant hills in the east.
Northwich boasts one of the UK’s few Salt Museums, which tells the story of how Cheshire owed much of its economy to the county’s oldest industry based on the town’s plentiful natural minerals.
The award-winning Silk Museum, in Macclesfield, unravels the story of the town’s silk heritage, from cocoon to loom.
Cheshire’s delightful smaller towns include Nantwich, famed for its half-timbered streets and glorious St. Mary’s Church. Sandbach is full of traditional Cheshire character, within its cobbled market place and famous 9th century Saxon Crosses.
The county’s rich past is reflected in a liberal sprinkling of National Trust properties, from the picture-postcard 15th century Little Moreton Hall, near Congleton, to the imposing Tatton Park, in Knutsford.
Privately-owned historic homes include the 18th century Rode Hall, Congleton; Capesthorne Hall at Siddington to Tabley House, near Knutsford - completed in 1769 - with its famous collection of English paintings amassed by Sir John Fleming Leicester, First Lord de Tabley. The artist JMW Turner is just one of its most illustrious guests whose great works are on display.
 For unrivalled insight into the way we lived during times spanning the growth of industrialisation following centuries of dependency upon the land and its rich harvests, smaller rural museums are poised to provide the answers.
The impressive list includes Englesea Brook Museum of Primitive Methodism, near Barthomley and working watermills at locations ranging from Bunbury, Nether Alderley (National Trust) and Stretton.
At Quarry Bank Mill, in Styal, the more recent history of a Georgian cotton mill is brought to life. And the halcyon days of country lanes before the advent of mass use of the motor car can be recalled at Mouldsworth Motor Museum which houses a unique collection of over 60 vintage, classic and sports cars, motorcycles and early bicycles.
The spiritual life of Cheshire people, past and present, is reflected in an abundance of beautiful churches in towns and villages across the county. Marton Parish Church, near Congleton, together with St. Oswald’s at Lower Peover, are two of the oldest timber framed churches in Europe, dating from 1343 and 1269 respectively.
Other magnificent examples include 14th century Bunbury Parish Church, which dominates the surrounding village and pretty countryside; St. Peter’s Church at Prestbury, which boasts a Norman Chapel within its churchyard; and the beautiful St. Oswald’s at Malpas, standing amid the streets of traditional black and white timbered houses in this picturesque south Cheshire village.
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