Tag Archives: Chester

The Deep and Scary Locks

During my evening in Chester, I walked along the city walls until I came to a place where the walls met the railway and the canal. This is a place where the terrain drops off quite quickly and, in order for the canal to make the descent, there is a pair of locks with a very deep drop. It was very dark in this area at night and there was no lighting. Nor was there any fencing around the locks. Consequently, I was very cautious as I explored them.

This was where modern camera technology came to my aid. I could see very little of what was around me, even as my eyes had adjusted to the low light conditions. My phone, on the other hand, did a phenomenal job of picking up the faint light that there was and stabilising the image to build up a usable shot. I can see things in these shots that I had no sight of at the time. I would like to go back in the day to see the locks in more detail. I did figure that, given how deep they were, you could come a cropper in there really easily if you weren’t careful.

Chester in the Evening

A work trip meant an overnight in Chester. I got there late in the afternoon as the light was already fading. By the time I had checked in and changed, it was dark. However, Chester is a picturesque place day or night. The many half-timbered buildings that still survive in the city centre are very attractive. Add to that the cathedral and the sculptures and you have plenty to see. I wander around taking a bunch of shots. I do think a visit again when I am free to explore will be worthwhile. In the meantime, here are some photos of the Chester by night.

A Surviving Shot Tower

I had an overnight in Chester as part of a work trip to the region. The hotel I was staying in was just outside the centre of the city and alongside the canal. A short distance away was a shot tower and I figured I had to take a look. Shot towers were used to make shot – who’d have thought? In order to get “perfect” spheres for the shot, the molten metal was pushed through fine mesh at the top of the tower, and the drops of metal would fall. They would form a sphere as they free fell and would also cool as they fell through the air. They would have solidified by the time they reached the bottom, and you would have your shot.

Production techniques evolved over time and towers like this became redundant. Fortunately, this one has not been demolished and now it looks over the new apartment developments along the canal. The inside is illuminated and, while there is a window looking in, there is not much to be seen. I hope it is well looked after and will remain for many years to come.