Bonewaldesthorne's Tower

Bonewaldesthorne’s Tower stands on the northwest corner of Chester’s medieval city walls, attached by a spur wall to the Water Tower. Built of red sandstone, it has a rectangular plan and a tall plinth, with seven steps rising to an arched doorway on the city-wall side. The battlemented top and single slit window inside show its defensive purpose. A closed staircase inside leads to a fireplace, lit by the slit window. The tower is recorded on the National Heritage List for England as a Grade I listed building. The tower has been part of Chester’s defences since at least 1249 and was rebuilt in 1322–26 as the gatehouse to the Water Tower. In 1835 the Chester Mechanics’ Institution opened a museum here, installing a camera obscura in 1840 and an observatory in 1848. A statue of Queen Anne stood on the steps after the Exchange fire. The museum closed in 1901–02 during wall repairs, reopening in 1903 with 12,000 visitors that season. Today the tower houses ‘Sick to Death’, a museum of the history of medicine run by the Grosvenor Museum. Visitors climb the seven steps to the arched doorway and enter a room with a fireplace and the narrow staircase. From the battlements there are views along the city walls. The spur wall leads across to the Water Tower, completing the historic ensemble.