St Werburgh's Abbey, Chester

St Werburgh’s Abbey stands at the heart of Chester, its cathedral rising above the old city walls. The building began as a Benedictine monastery in the 11th century, built by Hugh Lupus with help from monks who came from Bec in Normandy. Before that, the site may have held a Roman basilica and later a Saxon chapel dedicated to Saint Werburgh. The abbey church became Chester’s cathedral in 1541 after Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and changed its dedication. Today it serves both as a place of worship and a major tourist site, hosting concerts and exhibitions. The cathedral shows every major style of English medieval architecture, from Norman to Perpendicular. The earliest parts date from the 1090s, while the Lady Chapel and much of the nave were rebuilt in Gothic style during the 13th and 14th centuries. The large south transept once served as a separate parish church until 1881, and the southwest tower houses a unique bishop’s court that heard its last case in the 1930s. Victorian restorers, led by George Gilbert Scott, gave the exterior its present appearance, refacing the friable red sandstone to protect it from weather and pollution. Inside, the nave and choir are lit by tall clerestory windows and wide aisles on either side. The central tower rises above the crossing, its four battlemented turrets added by Scott in the 19th century. To the north lie the former monastic buildings, including the cloister, refectory and chapter house, arranged around a quiet square. A detached belfry, the Addleshaw Tower, stands in the grounds, designed by George Pace in the 1970s. The cathedral library, refurbished in the 2000s, holds historic volumes and is open to visitors.