Brutalist

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Brutalist architecture is a style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. There are some earlier buildings in a similar style which might be considered brutalist. These include various concrete "bunker" structures from world-war two. It has provoked a good deal of debate. Not least of these are arguments between architectural historians about what exactly is "Brutalism", "Structuralism", "Functionalism" or "Constructivism".

Descending from the wide-ranging modernist movement, Brutalism is said by some architectural historians to be a reaction against the "nostalgia" of architecture in the 1940s. Derived from the Swedish phrase nybrutalism (coined by the architect Hans Asplund), the term "New Brutalism" was first used by British architects Alison and Peter Smithson for their pioneering approach to design, and apparently coined for an unexecuted project for a house in Colville Place, Soho in which Alison and Smithson described its warehouse aesthetic of bare concrete, brick and wood “as the first exponent of the ‘new brutalism’” in England. The style was further popularised in a 1955 essay by architectural critic Reyner Banham, who also associated the movement with the French phrases béton brut ("raw concrete") and art brut ("raw art"). The style was developed by Hungarian-born Ernő Goldfinger, who is said to have lent his name to the 1959 Bond villan of the same name.

The characteristics of Brutalist architecture are often minimalist construction that showcases the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. It commonly makes use of exposed, unpainted concrete or brick, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochrome colour palette. The concrete may be patterned by wooden shuttering from which the grain is replicated through boardmarking, or by using other forms of moulding. To the casual observer the impression of Brutalism is that in many cases the materials used in construction, especially the concrete, have not weathered well. Other issues with 60's architecture include poor insulation, ventilation problems, and problems with lighting and noise, as well as simply bad visual design. These are not new issues and would have been commonplace in buildings constructed in earlier periods. However, sufficient time has elapsed that the vast majority of these earlier buildings have failed, fallen down, caught fire or been otherwise removed. For buildings older than a certain age, most poor examples are no-longer around to be criticised, whereas durable examples and those of merit have survived.

Examples in Chester, some of which have been demolished, include those listed and discussed below. One issue with the "Brutalist" architecture of Chester is that there is comparatively little significant 1960's architecture to compare it with, and certainly very few buildings from the latter half of the 20th century that are generally agreed to be of outstanding architectural merit. Those proposed as actually enhancing the townscape include the former C&A premises on Foregate Street (1970), Centurion House (1970) near Northgate, the Bell-Tower at the Cathedral (1975), Northgate Arena (1977), the Shipgate Development (1984), Grosvenor Court, Rufus Court (1991) and the Chester Magistrates Court (1992). However opinions still vary widely.

Main 1960's Developments

The main "1960's" developments in Chester were the Grosvenor and Forum Shopping Centers and the Inner Ring Road. Several theories have been put forward as to why this occurred: one being that early 1960's town planning was significantly influenced by a Ministry of Town & Country Planning publication on the "development of central areas" which promoted the concept of ring roads. This was in the aftermath of WW2 when many cities had suffered war damage and had the opportunity of a "fresh start".

The statue of Victoria at Harrisons Georgian reworking of Chester Castle faced the mid 1960's Police HQ until that was demolished in 2006.

The issues of war damage did not apply to Chester but there was a percieved need for the urban centres reconstruction in conjunction with the "traffic problems", car parking and shopping needs. Apart from the problem of war damage, redevelopment was also necessary in most town centres also for a variety of other reasons since buildings, especially inner-city dwellings, had become outworn and outdated, the town centre had become unable to cope with modern traffic conditions, and it was necessary to provide a new environment for changed ways of living. To these three main reasons, may be added the fact that the value of sites in central commercial areas had risen to a high level. The proposed solution in many towns and cities was a closely drawn-in Inner Ring Road, often in the form of a dual-carriageway, with car parks (often of multi-storey concrete constuction) dotted along it, and clearance of much inner city housing with relocation to external estates. On a national scale the development of the style of new buildings can be identified as a gradual shift from a "stripped-down classicism" to a "moderate modernism", and ultimately to a "brutalist modernism" in the final rebuilding projects. Largely absent were any developments that deliberately followed vernacular and traditional forms. Elements of this progression can be seen in Chester.

However, as discussed below, many of the concepts for redevelopment of Chester had appeared before the 1960's with an Inner Ring Road being proposed in 1945. One of the reasons given for this was that Chester was the meeting point of several major roads with the Grosvenor Bridge being one of the few crossing points of the River Dee. Chester owes its very existence to being at a crossing point and trade/transport nexus and this has greatly influenced its historical development, even before the Romans built their legionary fortress, Æthelflæd refortified the city and the Normans constructed Chester Castle (see: Road Transport and Chester and Ireland).

Even prior to the plans for an IRR, controversial proposals had been put forward in 1926 by the City Corporation to straighten Newgate Street and Little St John Street between the City Walls and St Johns Church. Hostility to the scheme was increased by the discovery of the Amphitheatre in 1929, when it was realised that the new road would cut directly across the centre of the monument. Eventually, traffic was routed around the site and a half of the Amphitheatre was excavated. The conflict between preserving the (Roman) past and providing modern infrastructure would eventually prompt "Piloti", the "architectural reporter" of the satirical magazine "Private Eye", to write (in January 1987):

  • "Good ideas never die. What Mussolini did for Rome in the 1930s- sweeping away untidy old medieval and baroque buildings to expose ancient Roman monuments- the good councillors of Chester hope to do in the 1980s. Mussolini, of course, replanned Rome for the benefit of cars, and a misguided reverence for Imperial remains at the expense of later buildings, and to his own greater glory. In Chester it is slightly different: cars are still worshipped- ringroads and relief roads are everywhere- and it is important that the Grosvenor Estate is allowed to develop shopping centres behind every black-and-white facade; but the over-riding aim is the encouragement of yet more tourism. That is what brings in the money."
An artists impresssion of the then proposed County Hall at Chester Castle from 1937. This is an example of the neo-Georgian architecture being proposed at the time.

Resolving the entwined issues of today's trade and yesterday's heritage has led to conflicts between preservation and progress, many of which have visible consequenses in the built environment. It is not a new problem.

The Civic Trust

Chester's Civic Trust was formed around the end of the 1950's and held its first meetings at the dawn of the 1960's. The formation of the trust arose out of concerns regarding the built environment of Chester, and especially the interplay between development of new infrasturucture such as a ring-road and shopping centers, as opposed to the proposed demolition of heritage features such as the Blue Bell in Northgate Street. Over the years since, the trust has engaged in and promoted the debate between preservation and progress. They have helped to raise awareness of heritage assets and the risks and opportunities associated with them.

In the process they have generated several useful and important publications which are not only a record of their activities but often a help to those seeking to interpret the history and heritage of their everyday surroundings. Two that are particulary helpful in understanding the modern evolution of the built environment of Chester are "2000 years of building" (2001) and "Preservation and Progress" (2012). They produce newsletters 2-3 times a year which are available online while members and associates have contributed to detailed monographs on the history of some specific buildings, in particular Bishop Lloyd's House.

At around the same time that the Trust was formed growing national interest in conservation strategies led to the selection of four towns to study how these could be developed. The four chosen were Chester, Bath, Chichester and York. This resulted in study by Donald Insall and Associates which was to have considerable impact on conservation/development in Chester.

Donald Insall was born in Bristol in 1926 in to a family of leather, trunk and ‘portmanteau’ manufacturers. He began his studies in 1942 but was enlisted in 1944 into the Coldstream Guards where he chose to stay a foot soldier, so he could remain posted in London, and get out to night school in the evenings to continue to study architecture. Demobbed in 1948, he returned to Bristol to complete his architectural qualifications, and then moved to London to study civic design at the Royal Academy and later to the School of Planning. A key influence was his Lethaby Scholarship of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, which enabled him to work for six months with specialists and traditional craftsmen such as thatchers and stonemasons. He then studied at Winchester College for the medieval historian, John Harvey. He then went to work with the London architects, Phillimore and Jenkin and set up practice with co-Lethaby scholar Peter Locke practice in 1958. He was appointed in 1960 as Chester City’s conservation consultant and remained a consultant to the City until 1978. His book "Chester: A Study in Conservation", published in 1968, records the work in Chester and is an international landmark for urban conservation.

Pepper Street Car Park

An artists impresssion of the Pepper Street car park with the "Leisure Hub" on the top deck.

The Pepper Street car park stands on the site of the former Lion Brewery between Park Street and Volunteer Street. Completed in 1971, it was designed by the Biggins Sergeant Partnership. It is a typical slab and pillar concrete construction on four levels and faced with spaced concrete panels linked by short railings. It has external concrete towers for lifts and stairs: these feature "bush-hammered" ridges. It only exhibits a mild form of Brutalism by attempting to avoid large, blockly structural elements and mirrors some elements of the part of the Grosvenor Shopping Center which forms the opposite side of Pepper Street.

The rounded lift tower on Pepper Street has a conspicuous ornamentation in the the form of the "Coadestone" lion which once adorned the brewery. This is a small but very notable feature which gives some historic context to the building. The story of the lion is told as follows:

  • "The figure of the lion used to be owned by the Lion Brewery, which was later taken over by Bent's Brewery. It is reported by some people that there were two lions on the old brewery, but there is some disagreement between historians over this fact. Both, or one, stood upon a tall tower on the site of the existing multi-story car park from the 1840s. When it was known that the brewery had to be demolished, Chester Civic Trust stepped in to save the lion sculpture. The chair of the group, Gertrude Jones, asked permission from the Duke of Westminster (who must have held an interest in the brewery), if she could arrange for the rescue of the lion. John Tomlinson, the secretary of the Chester Civic Trust, arranged for the Royal Engineers to get the sculpture down, because he had connections with the army. In 1971 the sculpture was sent to the stonemasonry firm of Robin Clegg to be mended and cleaned. The lion was then offered to Chester Zoo for safekeeping, but the zoo declined the offer. Next, it was offered to Chester Cathedral, because there were plans to make a garden for mothers and children on the site of the present Addleshaw tower. The Civic Trust has designed the garden and won £500 as the second prize in a national competition for urban improvement. However, the architect of the diocese was horrified at this idea, and insisted on the Addleshaw Bell Tower instead. The £500 for the garden was sent back to the competition organisers, and the Civic Trust had problems finding a place for the lion to be sited. Finally, Mr Tomlinson said that he would keep it in his garden, at 11 Curzon Park, Chester. Mr Tomlinson wanted to take the lion with him when he moved away, but the chair of the Civic Trust refused. For a short time the lion remained with the new occupants, Mr and Mrs Rankin. The chair spoke to the Duke of Westminster to ask if he wanted the lion atop his new business venture, the Pepper Street Car Park. The Duke agreed, and the Civic Trust arranged the final re-siting onto the car park lift tower. On 25 October 1971, the work was lifted to the top of the 70 ft column of the Pepper Street Car Park buildings. The multi-story car park was constructed for Grosvenor Developments by Laings, and finished shortly after the lion was placed on top of the column."

In 2024 a retail and leisure hub opened on the roof of the building. This uses re-purposed shipping containers for housing food and drink stalls, to provide hygiene facilities and storage.

Newgate Street Car Park

With the construction of the Grosvenor Shopping Center, much of Newgate Street disappeared under a multi-storey car park and modern shops/restaurants. Now only a short remnant of the street remains and the surviving buildings of any interest are in part dominated by "brutalist" 1960's "design" of the car park and the odd shop-front doomed to shadowed obscurity. To some extent the view is "saved" by the neo-Georgian Newgate House and the presence of quirky architectural features such as the doorway of the former Council Electricity Office which is decorated with depictions of various electrical devices.

What was once "Fleshmongers Lane" and now Newgate Street mostly went under a shopping center and a car park, leaving just a small remnant (photo 2015).

Overall, the Grosvenor Shopping Center and the complex of associated commercial premises is quite a mix of styles. Its best aspect is the arcade of St Michael's Row on Bridge Street. This has been described as "expressed, above the Row arcade, as a symmetrical E-shaped late Elizabethan house". In fact when it was finished in 1910 it was clad in white and gold Doulton faience tiles, and only re-clad in Vernacular Revival style the following year following a good deal of protest in the local newspapers. The extension into the shopping mall linking Eastgate Street and Pepper Street was first proposed in detail in 1961 and initially known as the Grosvenor-Laing Precinct. 1965-71 saw the construction of the extension which had a concrete and glass facade on Pepper Street, designed by Sir Percy Thomas and Son. This was modified several times in the 80's, 90's, in 2015 and thereafter, removing the coloured glass panels.

The "Dalle de verre" glass windows of the original Pepper Street frontage were a key element of the original design. They included depictions of some of the City Gates of Chester and Bridges. The Chester Civic Trust campaigned for their retention and the consequence was that they were removed for storage. However, the current (2025) location, or even the continued existence of them, is unknown. Fortunately, the Chester Photographic Survey recorded them for posterity.

Forum: Gateway Theatre, Car Park, Shopping Center

The extensive redevelopment of the area behind and to the sides of the Chester Town Hall was first mooted in detail by "City Engineer" Charles Greenwood. His plan for redevelopment of the city was published in 1945, but must have been worked on for some time prior to this. It makes for interesting reading as Greenwood was very aware that development should achieve a balance between modern functionality and the preservation and even enhancement of views such as of the Cathedral and the City Walls. The plan included the creation of an Inner "Ring Road" and a "Civic Center" around the Town Hall.

The original conception for the development of a "Civic Center" for Chester. This was published in 1945.

The neo-Georgian Civic Center would have included a new central library, a museum and art gallery, and a concert hall. The ring road would have run up the line of King Street and passed through a widened Northgate continuing down George Street. As part of this plan the "Blue Bell" in Northgate Street would be demolished in order to widen the road, as would have been parts of the Northgate. Indeed the Blue Bell had been acquired by the City Council in the 1930's for the purpose of road-widening. Fortunately, this plan was dropped in 1960 and a new plan adopted which had the Inner Ring Road follow its present route outside the Northgate, having cut through the walls at the then new St Martins Gate. However, the prospect of demolition led to many years of neglect for the properties in King Street, and many became delapidated. Once the plans had changed houses in King Street were renovated (almost all are dwellings) and the area became a fashionable place to live within the city walls.

The redevelopment of Chester Market is covered in great detail by Steve Howe on his Vitual Stroll site. Chester's baroque Victorian market was initially replaced in 1967 by what was seen by many as one of the ugliest buildings ever errected in the City. The "Cheshire Sheaf" recorded:

  • "The Chester Market Hall closed its doors to the public for the last time on Saturday, the 17th June, 1967, after serving generations of shoppers from a wide area for more than a century. With its architecturally heavy stone facade it was, and it looked like, a solid Victorian market place, typical of so many built throughout Britain in the nineteenth century. Affection for it was warm and widespread, and nostalgia for the friendly old haunt will remain with many Cestrians long after new shopping habits have been formed in its swagger modern successor."

The 1967 "Forum", designed by Michael Lyall Associates, comprised shops on the ground floor and council offices above. It was a clear example of 1960's "Brutalist" architecture. There was apparently an award winning alternative design which was not built due to its high cost. Somewhat ironically, construction of the Forum (which owes nothing to Roman architecture) involved the destruction of the Roman "Eliptical Building" a structure of a type which occurs nowhere else in the Roman Empire (see: Roman Ireland). For many years the location of the council planning office was directly above the site of these unique Roman remains. The development angered a lot of people, who felt the new building was not in keeping with the look of the city - although part of it was demolished in 1995 to "update" it. The Forum closed its doors for good on New Years Eve 2023. As of 2025 the site is awaiting redevelopment.

The stairs leading to the Gateway Theatre from the junction of Hamilton Place and Trinity Street in 2018. The Theatre is the large grey box to the right, with the slope of the auditorium floor visible. To the left is the underpass of Trinity Street below a hotel in bad "Mock-Tudor".

The Gateway Theatre was designed by architect Martin Graden of Michael Lyell Associates and opened in November 1968. It closed in 2007. Its architecture was described as follows:

  • "The Gateway has a strong exterior presence with the rear of the raked auditorium acting as a focal point and forming a canopy to the main entrance. The façades to the theatre are angular, constructed with a combination of brick and concrete panels set in aluminium frames with glass and metal-sheet cladding. Unlike other theatres built within shopping centres at the same time, the theatre is not reached not through the centre but independently, through one of the city's old gateways."

The "gateway" after which the theatre is named is actually the small remaining part of the frontage of Chester Market leading into Hamilton Place. Later in 2007 the Gateway Theatre was partially reopened as The Forum Studio Theatre, run by an amateur company, Tip Top Productions. The Theatre was forced to close in March 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Other Developments

In addition to the developments of car-parks and shopping centers there were several other buildings in central Chester which have raised significant issues over architecture. There are also somewhat striking buildings which were proposed but never progressed beyond an "artists impression". The latter included the "Glass Slug" at Gorse Stacks (another Council Office) and several designs for structures in the Northgate Project (see the links for some details). In 2007 it was proposed that Northgate Arena be moved to Greyhound Retail Park and replaced by a six storey £24m Hilton hotel with a two-screen arts cinema. The council pulled out. There were also issues over a proposed out-of-town student village for 2,300 residents at Mollington. A one-time favoured option for the location of Chester’s £37m Storyhouse would have seen the theatre based on the Little Roodee car park. A lesser known ambition was an imaginative plan to bring a replica of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre to Chester back in 2009. Dame Judi Dench who gifted the theatre to the BSC from the movie "Shakespeare in Love" in which she starred. There was worldwide publicity when the British Shakespeare Company invited towns to bid for the right to host the theatre with Chester competing against the likes of York, Sheffield and Manchester.

Those listed below illustrate some of the issues raised and ensuing discussions. It is not an exhausive list.

The former Police HQ

The former Police HQ shortly before demolition.

The multi-storey Police Headquarters, with sculpted concrete ends designed by sculptor William George Mitchell, and an overall design by County Architect, Edgar Taberner was built 1964-7 was demolished in 2006. This building was described by Nikolaus Pevsner in his 46-volume Buildings of England as:

  • "Extremely objectionably sited, an eight-storey block immediately by the propylaea of the castle and turning towards it a windowless wall with an agressive all-over concrete relief".

The sculptor Mitchell was known for his innovative and large-scale concrete murals and his style became well-known both in Britain and internationally. Many of his other works are listed. Opinions on the building varied widely with some organisation even changing their opinion over the years. The Royal Fine Art Commission criticised the design while at around the same time, Donald Insall, in his report of 1968, cited the building as

  • "an example of beneficial change within the city .. well related to Grosvenor Street and the Castle."

One issue here is whether the works of a noted sculptor should be preserved even when they are not the best example of what he could produce. Plans for other unbuilt structures near to it included an office block constructed as an elevated span over the northern approach to the Grosvenor Bridge. As the site is an important gateway to the city when approaching over the Grosvenor Bridge, with views of Chester Castle on the one side and the site of the Police building on the other. The building and the whole development of the "gateway" attracted considerable debate.

The earlier history of the site is interesting as it was the location of some Roman port facilities which may have included "bars" etc staffed by civilians, then the convent of the Nuns of St Mary and later the Militia headquarters. Further detail on this interesting spot can be found on the Vitual Stroll pages. The Militia building was to designs by T. M. Penson in 1858–9. In an extravagant 13th century castellated style with many towers and turrets and a gateway with a portcullis. It was sold to the War Department in 1874 and after 1882 housed married non-commissioned officers of the regimental depot. The building was repurchased by the county council in 1963 and demolished in 1964.

As for their earlier County Police HQ, this still survives at 142 Foregate Street and is an elegant Ruabon brick building in a "Flemish" style from John Douglas completed in 1884.

The rear of the flats at 55-61 Watergate Street.

55-61 Watergate Street

The block of four 1960's concrete shop units with flats above at 55-62 Watergate Street, actually was the winner of an architectural competition held by the then City Council (and judged by George Grenfell-Baines). It was designed by Bradshaw, Rowse and Harker of Liverpool. In the 1950's-60's this was a vacant lot which formed a notorious gap in The Rows - the Council had purchased the buildings on this site for restoration, but had done little to maintain them and by the 1950's they had fallen into such a state of dilapidation that they were demolished as dangerous structures.

The concrete "New Build" on this site may have been in keeping with its time, but rapidly became another one of the issues that fueled debate about the best way to fit new buildings into Chester's historic streets. The building as constructed was slightly different and somewhat more plain as compared with the design which actually won the competition. In part this was due to no commercial partner coming forward so that construction needed to be funded by the council.

One issue with the structure is that it has not aged well, with the concrete displaying some "spalling". Also, in common with many buildings of their age or older, changes in recycling and waste disposal practice have led to an accumulation of highly visible recycling containers whose storage was not considered in the original design and can be difficult to accomodate. There are several other similar blocks of "concrete" construction nearby. However the relative narrowness of Watergate Street and the fact that the eye is drawn to the "older-styled" buildings perhaps means that they less obvious.

The earlier history of the site included a nearby explosion. Hughes writes:

  • "A few steps lower down the Row is a passage or alley communicating with Commonhall Street called Puppet Show Entry. This passage is chiefly memorable as the scene of a most terrific explosion which shook the city like an earthquake on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot November 5th 1772. A large room in this passage was fitted up as a sort of Marionette Theatre: a large audience had assembled the puppets were going through their strange evolutions when by some appalling misfortune eight hundred weight of gunpowder lodged in a warehouse below suddenly blew up with a tremendous report killing the showman and twenty two others - eighty three besides being more or less seriously injured. In remembrance of that fearful calamity this alley has been ever since known as the Puppet Show Entry."

The most detailed description was given by John Bowden in his "The Explosion Or, an Alarming Providential Check to Immorality. a Poem. Occasioned by the Late Dreadful Explosion of Gunpowder, on the Fifth Day of November, 1772, in the City of Chester; ... by a Citizen of Chester. " (ISBN:9781170372975), of which an excellent account is to be found on "Chesterculture". Puppet Show Entry no longer exists.

Examples of concrete architecture on The Rows

Quicks

The former "Quicks" building on Lower Bridge Street.

The former "Quicks" building on the corner of Lower Bridge Street and Duke Street, is referred to in Pevsner’s Guide as "a nasty 1960s block". Some attempt was made to make this "fit" by having a galleried street-level arcade after the manner of former buildings in Lower Bridge Street. The site was subject of a planning application made in December 2018 for demolition and redevelopment into 43 apartments, five townhouses, and two ground floor commercial units, a scheme designed by AFL. The application was never determined. The site had been considered by Sainsbury’s in the years following Quicks’ 2007 departure. It has been unoccupied since 2007 and has a reputation for losing some of its concrete outer layers on the lower pillars, subsequently repaired/patched up. However, it has now (2025) started to lose some of the surface from near the top of the building.

In other places, such as Manchester and Camden (London), there would be sufficient commercial scope for a building such as this to become a "pop-up" marketplace, but the economic circumstances in Chester would not support that. The issue here is that to re-purpose massively constructed Brutalist buildings can be difficult while demolition is often a complex process.

As for earlier history, prior to the Quicks buildin this was a "Rotten Row" of somewhat delapidated buildings and a brewery. However, prior to that it was occupied by the home of "Richard the Engineer" ("Richard L'Ingenour") the royal master mason of Edward I. L'Ingenour held the manor of Belgrave and was responsible for the purchase of materials and making of contracts with craftsmen. In 1275 he was granted the lease on the Dee Mills, and later renewed this lease (in 1284 for 12 years at the immense cost of £200 year - however it was compulsory for most citizens to have their corn ground there). Randle Holme, the Chester Herald, noted that the building in Lower Bridge Street was a rare fortified town house:

  • "This in ancient tyme was a famous structure of stone much like a castle or fort having an high tower".

Large stone town house with high towers are very rare in English medieval cities, so the builder must have held considerable influence as Richard the Engineer did.

The "Ugly Pinks Flats" (Salmon Leap)

Designed by Liverpool architects Gilling Dod and Partners, the so-called Salmon Leap flats (frequently described as "the ugly pink flats") were completed in 1968. The Chester Chronicle described them as "Chester’s ugliest buildings" in 2009. However in 2013 they recieved a makeover and the "Sicilian Sunset" paint-job replaced by a stone colour. Many agree that this much improves their appearance.

The flats are nothing like as objectionable as what occupied the site previously as this was the location of a "noxious tan yard" and parts of the Dee Mills comprising a "Tobacco Works": a remnant of the Mills once being used for the production of snuff.

The "fish pass" at the weir after which the flats are name is sometimes said to be Norman but is not. It had been proposed since 1869 but was only built in 1913/14 by agreement between Chester corporation, the River Dee Fishing Board, and the owners of the weir. A veriety of plans were discussed before the "fish pass" was located where it now is, with one plan having the salmon steps located on the north bank, the weir removed and a new set of sluices created between the weir and the Old Dee Bridge with a central gate for boats (see: Skinners Lane).

New Market Car Park and Northgate

One of the many plans for the scope of the completed Northgate Project.

The regeneration of the Northgate shopping area (now Exchange Square) was originally to be handled by ING Real Estate Developers. The firm struck a deal with the former Chester City Council in 2000, but plans were put on hold for financial reasons as a result of the financial crisis of 2008.

In 2012 councillors voted to end the agreement and work on the project themselves. The Northgate project was once described by planners as the most ambitious redevelopment in Chester city centre for decades. Work planned for the area included building a new House of Fraser store, a cinema, market hall and "60 shops between Town Hall Square and Northgate Street". In 2016 the entire cost of the scheme was reported as being expected to cost £300 million. Since that date there have been several changes to the proposed plans.

The renamed Chester Storyhouse, housing a new theatre, art house cinema and library, opened on 11 May 2017 at a cost of £37 million: it was the UK's largest regional arts project and the biggest capital development in Chester for 50 years and was designed by the architects Bennetts Associates. It has been praised for a sympathetic and innovative re-use of an existing structure as part of new building. House of Fraser pulled out of the Northgate Scheme in 2018.

Construction of Northgate "Phase #1" started in July 2020 and was completed in November 2022 with the construction of Exchange Square, the new market building and a car park. The cost of £75 million included £65.6 million for construction and £6.4 million for infrastructure improvements including a new surface water drainage tunnel.

It is debatable whether the car park building is Brutalist or Post-Modernist. It has been described as "overbearing and dominant", "out of scale" and that its "massing is excessive". It was much criticised by the The Countryside Charity.

The market has recieved criticism that it is a "Food Hall" and not a traditional city market. Those who oppose that view might argue that the nature of retail and of market towns has changed. Plans still exist for the redevelopment of the old Forum shopping centre and offices, Hamilton House, Merchant House, Goldsmith House and the former Gateway Theatre.

Conclusions

It is easy to be critical of "1960s" (and later) architecture, especially given that Chester had the benefit of sometimes well-funded "virtuoso" architects such as Harrison, Douglas and Lockwood. The very fact that they are well-known by name shows the impact that they had. The formation of the Civic Trust in 1960 did much to help halt a period of both neglect and development without effective challenge. Insall's "Study in Conservation", published in 1968, records the work done in Chester and is an international landmark for urban conservation.

Sources and Links

An excellent reference work on the subject matter of this page is "2000 Years of Building" by the Chester Civic Trust. As noted above, several of the debates on the architecture of Chester are described in detail on the Virtual Stroll site.

Related Pages

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