I’m in Chester at the moment, on personal business.
Chester, I know, is a Roman city. The street plan shows as much — it is, indeed, extraordinarily Roman, considering that nearly 2,000 years have passed. Sadly I have been unable to devote any time to seeing antiquities, despite staying in the Crowne Plaza hotel pretty much in the city centre. I did get to walk on the medieval circuit of the walls this afternoon, going down to the River Dee.
I’ve seen a few Roman column bases scattered around. All of this material is of a reddish stone, which also appears in the medieval cathedral. I presume, therefore, that this is local stone, and that in turn means that the Roman columns were manufactured by local artisans.
Chester is quite an attractive city, although quite small. If you’re in the area, do visit it!