Chester City Walls

Yes, there is a temporary walkway close to the Eastgate Clock that now allows the full circuit to be available.

The Schedule of Monuments is a list of historic buildings or sites managed by Historic England and kept by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Consent must be given by the Secretary of State for any work on a scheduled monument.

Any invasive repair, maintenance and conservation work on the City Walls needs scheduled monument consent from Historic England. An agreement is in place with Historic England for us to undertake minor repairs.

The City Walls are inspected by an engineer every two years. The inspector looks at the condition of the wall, records the significant defects and notes any changes since the last inspection.

There is a rolling five-year plan covering large and small-scale work, but this is subject to constant revision as new problems arise.

Investigation work and planning of the repairs is done in close consultation with Historic England as well as our own archaeologists and conservation officers.

Some parts of the City Walls have to be assessed by specialist roped-access teams or by a mobile platform. There is a fall protection system installed on the top of King Charles Tower which allows engineers to inspect the roof.

Before any major work takes place, we commission a specialist laser scan survey which gives accurate, scaled drawings that can be used in discussions with Historic England to plan the work. Further scanning is done after work is complete, and added to the historic record.

Routine maintenance work is carried out year-round according to the season.

Vegetation removal is a spring/summer/autumn activity although the section to the north of the city alongside the canal must be treated in late winter.

Small-scale masonry repairs and pointing are done during the warmer months . An annual paving survey in spring aims to pick up any paving stones which have been loosened over the winter.

Drain clearance, handrail checks, pest control and graffiti removal are done regularly and as the need arises.

The expectation is that traditional materials and techniques should be used as far as possible. Before any work is done, the structure is scanned and photographed, and stones are archaeologically recorded before being carefully dismantled and stored so that each one can be re-used in its original location.

If part of the wall core needs to be replaced, it must be carefully built by hand. Where stone needs to be replaced, the repair must be worked by hand by time-served master-craftsmen to match the original as closely as possible in size and shape.

Finding the right craftsmen who are suitably skilled in the right techniques is not easy but is absolutely essential to the success of any repair scheme.

It is often the case that the City Walls construction can be radically different in two places a very short distance apart and so repair plans sometimes have to change part-way though.

Finally, all dismantling work must be done under the supervision of an archaeologist who records every single feature. For all these reasons, repairs are several times more time-consuming and expensive than similar repairs to a modern structure.

After part of the City Walls next to The Grosvenor Hotel collapsed in 2008, a risk assessment of the rest of the wall found other problem areas which were monitored and then propped.

Since the Council was formed in 2009, the most urgent issues have been addressed and propping removed. The remaining propped structures are open and safe for the public to use and their repair will be prioritised, balanced with other outstanding work needed on the City Walls, and resources.

Water is the most severe threat to the City Walls. Over time, water can get into joints between stones and wash away some of the material in the wall leaving behind voids. Recent repairs have included adding a waterproofing layer just below the paving to prevent any further loss. Our long-term aim is ultimately to waterproof the entire City Walls circuit.

The use of very hard cement-based mortar in post-war repairs also affects the masonry. Water cannot evaporate out of the masonry through the hard cement joints and so it evaporates from the face of the stone instead, causing severe erosion. The effect is amplified in parts of the wall most exposed to the weather, such as alongside the racecourse and along The Groves. It is replaced with a traditional lime-based mortar which allows moisture to evaporate safely.

Although the protective handrails running round the inner wall are in good condition, they are not in keeping with the status of the walls as a heritage structure of national importance. There is a long-term aim to replace the handrails with a new design as trialed near to the Eastgate clock and at the recently rebuilt Northgate Steps.