Chester
Only British city with complete Roman/medieval wall circuit (2 miles). Largest Roman amphitheatre in Britain. Unique medieval Rows galleries. Major financial services hub: Bank of America, M&S Bank, others.
Chester preserved what other Roman cities buried or demolished: the most complete circuit of ancient defensive walls in Britain. The Romans established the fortress of Deva Victrix between 70 and 80 CE; they built walls of earth and turf, then reconstructed them in sandstone. The Normans extended the circuit to enclose the medieval city. The result—almost 2 miles of walkable walls—survives intact.
The walls are not the only survival. Chester's Rows, two-tiered shopping galleries dating from medieval times, exist nowhere else. The Roman amphitheatre, Britain's largest, seated 7,000 spectators. The Eastgate Clock, added in 1899 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, is called the second most photographed clock in England after Big Ben.
This architectural completeness enabled a service economy. Tourism, retail, and financial services now dominate. Bank of America, NFU Mutual, Lloyds Bank, Virgin Money, Quilter, and M&S Bank maintain offices here. The financial sector employs thousands in a city of 118,000.
Planning controls preserved the heritage while permitting economic activity. The city centre operates as a living museum that also functions as a commercial district—a combination few British cities achieve.
Chester's location—on the Welsh border, near Liverpool and Manchester—made it a fortress, a market, and now a service center for a regional population.
By 2026, Chester tests whether a Roman fortress can remain economically relevant two millennia after the legions left.