Monument record 10879 - Castle - Twentieth Century

The regimental museum was initially housed in the ground floor of Agricola’s Tower, opening in the early 1920s. It moved to its present location in the A Block in 1968. The chapel of St Mary de Castro was reconverted and became a private chapel of the Cheshire regiment in 1922. During the Second World War huts for temporary accommodation of soldiers were erected in various places, and vegetable plots were laid out in the castle ditch. During the 1930s plans were made for a new county hall, to be built on the site of Harrison’s gaol, the building was interrupted by the Second World War and was opened in 1957. In the 1960s it was decided to create an inner ring road, which involved the construction of the roundabout at the junction of Grosvenor St., Nicholas St. and Castle St. The site of the Militia Building was purchased and, after clearance, a new county police headquarters was built. Externally the Harrison constructions facing the parade ground have remained intact, but there have been changes internally to the Assize Court block following the erection of ancillary court buildings in the former prison yards, completed in 1993. Colvin House and Napier House have been vacated by the Ministry of Defence and an alternative use for them was being sought as of 2001 (4).

<1> Colvin H.M. (ed), 1963-1982, The History of the King's Works, 1/607-612 (Book). SCH3161.

<2> Cox, E W, 1895, Chester Castle, Cox E W 1895 5/239-276 (Article in Journal). SCH5599.

<3> Simpson F, 1925, Chester Castle, A.D. 907-1925, Simpson F 1925 26/71-132 (Article in Journal). SCH5695.

<4> English Heritage, 2001, Chester Castle Conservation Plan (Unpublished Report). SCH6281.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1872-1875, Metric Ten Foot Scale Town Plan of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH6780.

<6> Wilson D & Hurst J, 1957, Medieval Britain in 1956 (Article in Journal). SCH5609.