Water Tower - Open
City Walls, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 4JA
The Water Tower is attached by a spur wall to the older Bonewaldesthorne's Tower on the north-west corner of Chester City Walls. This part of the Walls probably dates to the early 10th century when Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, extended Chester’s original Roman defences to protect the town from the Vikings.
This is a rare opportunity to see inside Water Tower. Accessed from Bonewaldesthorne's Tower, it once stood in the River Dee and housed the port authorities monitoring shipping and collecting import duties.
Grosvenor Museum will have artefacts there to tell the story of Chester’s past as a trading centre and other volunteers will be on hand to tell you about the Water Tower.
Please note it will not be possible to visit the camera obscura in Bonewaldesthorne’s tower during the opening of the Water Tower, but the camera obscura will be open on Saturday 12 September and Sunday 13 September between 11.15am and 1.15pm.
Timings
- Sunday 20 September:
- 11:00 - 15:00
Location & directions
City Walls, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 4JA
- Directions:
- This section of the Walls can be accessed from City Walls Rd. What3Words Location: ///shells.gloves.voted
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Water Tower can only be accessed by a steep flight of steps from Bonewaldesthorne's Tower. A narrow spiral staircase leads to the upper chamber of the Tower. Access to this chamber may be limited.
Additional information
At busy times you may be required to wait for a few minutes to enter the Water Tower.
