Exchange Square
Formerly Empire Square now renamed after the Exchange which stood in Market Square aka Town Hall Square on Northgate Street. The original Exchange building burnt down on 30 December 1862. The square contains the new Chester Market (opened 2022) of which CW&C state:
- "Rotterdam market illustrates how the traditional market building can be reinvented a dramatic and characterful contemporary space and illustrates excellence in bespoke market stall design creating interesting opportunities to view the market from elevated positions."
Rotterdam Market was built 2009-14 at a cost of €178,000,000 (about £155 million). The total cost of the Northgate scheme has been £75m. Earlier plans from 2011 included a new £8m market on two levels on the site of the then council-owned Frodsham Street car park.
In September 2023 the artwork "How to Work Better, 1991" was reproduced on the side of The Forum Building, Exchange Square as part of a major new visual arts event, Chester Contemporary. The artwork started life as a notice put up in a ceramics factory in Thailand.
Other elements of event included the design of a tattoo (copied from a Tin-Tin comic), a cocktail (white port, brandy, cardamom and orange bitters: mulled wine, without the wine and served cold) and a flag (for a boat on the River Dee) based on several flags including the Union of South American Nations; the Flag of Earth; HM Coast Guard; the Principality of Sealand; NASA; Jolly Roger Pirate; United Galactic Federation (N.B. Star Trek has the United Federation of Planets); the Flag of Animal Farm; Europe; the Progress Pride Flag; the Dune inspired Choam Flag; Japan; Australia, and Germany. The "local artist" involved wrote:
- "I worked at a carpet shop in Chester for some time. It was only by going to the Jan Van Eyck Academy later that year that I was prevented from the possibility of working at that shop the rest of my life. It really saved me.""
