Chester High Cross is in
Chester,
Cheshire, England. It stands in front of
St Peter's Church at the junction of Watergate Street, Eastgate Street and Bridge Street, a site known as
Chester Cross. The cross is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...
as a designated Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
History
The original cross dated from the 14th century.
[ This cross was replaced by a new one in 1476. It consisted of an octagonal pillar surmounted by a carved head and a ]crucifix
A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
on its top. The cross was gilded in 1603. It was damaged and broken up by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
in 1646. The head was saved and kept in the grounds of Sir John Cotgreave at Nesterleigh. The head and another possible fragments were rediscovered in the 19th century. They were used in a restoration of the cross which was erected near the Newgate in 1949. In 1975 the cross was moved to its present site, near to its original position.[
]
Structure
The cross is constructed in red sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
. It consists of a crown surmounted by a finial with a ball on its top. It stands on a shaft on a plinth
A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...
below which are three steps. The head is hexagonal, while the shaft, steps and plinth are octagonal. The head, and possibly the moulded base of the shaft, date from the 14th century; the rest of the structure is modern. The head is badly weathered; niches which formerly contained statues are on each side, but two of these have been weathered away.[
]
Today
Chester High Cross stands at the centre of the city of Chester and is a popular meeting point. During the summer months Chester's town crier
A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority who makes public pronouncements as required.
Duties and functions
The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dress ...
makes a midday proclamation from its steps.
See also
*
*Grade II listed buildings in Chester (central)
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England containing over 650 structures that are designated as listed buildings by English Heritage and included in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, over 500 are listed at Grade II, the ...
References
{{Reflist
Buildings and structures in Chester
Grade II listed buildings in Chester
Tourist attractions in Cheshire
High crosses in England
Monumental crosses in England
Monuments and memorials in Cheshire