AS one of Britain's most popular cathedrals, Chester receives around 1 million visitors each year. It is a working church with regular services and is open to the public with no entry fee, although donations are welcome. The Cathedral has a long history, dating back to 907 when the Saxon Minster held the remains of St Werburgh. Daughter of Wulfhere, King of the Mercians, St Werburgh died at the end of the 7th century AD and was buried in Threckingham. She was later moved to Chester due to the threat of Danish invasions and her memory is still preserved in the Cathedral's Lady Chapel. The Saxon Minster of St Werburgh's time was replaced in the eleventh century by a new church. Hugh, the 1st Norman Earl of Chester decided to build a monastery in the city and in 1092, the Benedictine Abbey of St Werburgh was finished. This would have been a much more rugged looking building than the Cathedral we see today. By 1250 the monks of Chester had been influenced by the Gothic architectural style and so a new church was started. The new church was built around the old one, which was taken down from the inside. This church was almost what we know as Chester Cathedral today. After the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1540, the Cathedral seems to have been neglected. This was rectified in the 19th century when Sir Gilbert Scott undertook to restore the Cathedral, making certain additions to the interior and exterior decoration, including most of the stained glass. It is now a showcase of architectural styles from almost every century since the 10th. There are examples of Norman, early English, Decorated and Perpendicular styles. The Norman abbey church was gradually replaced by the present gothic structure. As well as medieval masonry, the cathedral boasts magnificent oak choir stalls crafted in 1390. It also has one of the most complete groups of monastic buildings in the country, arranged around a cloister. There is an overwhelming amount of ecclesiastical art and sculpture in Chester Cathedral, as well as the stunning architecture and grounds. This is well worth a visit and don't forget, it's free. | 
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