Chester at Work (People and Industries Through the Years)

Today in Chester service industries predominate such as tourism, retail, public administration and financial services. However, this was not always the case given the city’s location on the River Dee and its strategic military position. In ‘Chester At Work’, Stanley Jenkins and Stewart Shuttleworth trace the changes in the city’s working life from its pre-industrial beginnings, through the Industrial Revolution and right up to the present day.Chester was a port from Roman times with ancillary industries. Like all cities in medieval times it had a range of domestic industry. The area by the river was a particular focus of industry using water power including corn mills, tanneries and tobacco works. In the mid-eighteenth century the port declined due to silting of the Dee followed by the rise of Liverpool. However, some port-related industries continued and a reduced amount of shipping continued into the twentieth century.The 1770s saw the opening of the Chester Canal and, in 1799, the leadworks was developed canalside. The arrival of the railways later that century saw Chester as a transport hub with three locomotive depots, an LNWR wagon works and ancillary services. Other industries that subsequently developed included the Chester Hydraulic Co., the Westminster Coach and Motor Works, the aluminium manufacturer Williams & Williams and Brookhirst Controls.This book will be of interest to those who know the city and want to discover more about its rich heritage from an industrial and social perspective.