Chester (ancient Deva or Castra Devana), city, administrative center of Cheshire, western England, on the Dee River. Chester is one of the most picturesque towns of England and is a major tourist center. Manufactures include aircraft parts and food products. Situated on a rocky sandstone height, the town is encircled by ancient, mainly Roman, walls, entered by four gates. Other Roman remains include a large amphitheater (1st century AD). The two main streets of Chester cross each other at right angles; they were cut out of the underlying rock by the Romans and lie below the level of the houses. Cheshire Cathedral (largely 14th century) is a massive, irregular structure of red sandstone that incorporates remnants of an 11th-century Benedictine abbey. The city also has many fine examples of medieval half-timbered buildings.
From the 1st to the late 4th century AD, Chester was one of the most important Roman legion outposts in Britain. In the 10th century, the kings of Mercia made it their fortress. Chester was the last city in England to be captured (1070) by William the Conqueror. It received its first charter in 1176, and for several hundred years thereafter, until the silting of the Dee River, it was an important port. Population (1996 estimate) 119,221.
