Chester city walls to be restored

Sections of Chester's ancient city walls will be closed for seven months as conservation specialists begin work to protect the future of the scheduled ancient monument, starting in September.

The project will also involve restoration work on the 18th century Eastgate Bridge and the clock built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

Masons will repair sections of damaged sandstone on the Eastgate, which was built by Lord Grosvenor in 1768 to replace the original Medieval entrance to Chester.

North of the Eastgate a section of the wall has been propped with polystyrene backfilling since 2010 and will now be permanently stabilised with sandstone masonry.

In 2012, in response to a government request, the asset or rebuild value of Chester's City Walls was estimated at £500m.

Cllr Stuart Parker, executive member for culture and economy at Cheshire West & Chester Council, said: "The city walls embody two thousand years of our history. They are also one of Chester's major visitor attractions and it is vital that we preserve them for future generations."