CHESTER, England, an ancient and episco pal city, the capital of the county of Cheshire, 16 miles southeast of Liverpool. The two main streets cross each other at right angles and were cut out of the rock by the Romans, 4 to 10 feet below the level of the houses. The houses in these streets were curiously arranged; the front parts of their second stories, as far back as 16 feet, from a continuous paved prom enade or covered gallery, open in front, where there are pillars and steps up from the street below, with private houses above, inferior shops and warehouses below, and the chief shops of the town within. These arcades, called. the together with the walls and the half timbered construction of many of the houses, with ornamental gables of the 16th century, render Chester perhaps the most picturesque ca in England. Saint John's Church, now par t y in ruins, is supposed to have been founded by Ethelred in 698. Chester still preserves its old walls, two miles in extent, and the gate ways have been rebuilt during the last cen tury. Many modern improvements have been
made in the city, but with due regard to the quaint architectural features. Electric lighting has been installed; a modern sewage system, including precipitation works, has been intro duced; public baths, markets, a free library, a museum, and a hospital are maintained by the municipality. Chester has manufactures of lead; iron foundries, chemical works and a ship-building yard. It manufactures boots and shoes for export. Its principal trade, however, is in cheese, for which it is a famous market The improvement of the Dee is bringing back to Chester some of its former importance as a port ; there is an increasing importation of ores and timber and an export of manufactured iron. Chester is the terminus of several rail way lines. Pop. 39,028.