Founded as the Roman legionary fortress of Deva and re-founded as an Anglo- Saxon fortified town (burh) in the 900s, Chester was the most important seaport and mercantile city of the North-west. Testament to this are its surviving buildings, especially the unique Rows, stretching along the main four streets of the city — attractive buildings with ground-floor cellars, first-floor halls to the rear, and shops to the front connected by galleries. They originate in the period 1250–1350 and have been repeatedly rebuilt.

Published in association with the University of Chester, the Historical Map of Chester charts these changes over time and tells the story of the people who shaped the town.

Taking as its base a 1911 Ordnance Survey map of the town, the Historical Map of Chester shows on a multi-period map how the town developed, and includes lost buildings, cemeteries, earthworks and sites of interest as well as those that remain. A comprehensive gazetteer on the map’s reverse, complete with many illustrations, explains how Chester grew from a Roman legionary fortress into the modern cathedral city, and introduces its historic buildings and places of interest.