Further building took place during the dissolution and the 19th century saw a programme of restoration and sometimes fanciful elaboration by Thomas Harrison from 1818-20, Richard Charles Hussey in 1843-4, George Gilbert Scott from 1868-76 and Arthur Blomfield from 1882-87.[2]

The Chester Cathedral Medallion

Chester Cathedral is not large in comparison to other abbeys or cathedrals in England, being 355ft long. However the South Transept is one of the largest in the UK.[2]

Chester Cathedral

The current dean of the cathedral is the Very Revd. Professor G. F. McPhate, who is supported by a chapter made up of clerical and lay positions.

From 1541 to 1960 the King's School was situated with the cathedral. It then moved to Wrexham Road where it is now.

Chester Cathedral Choir School was run alongside the King's School, within the same buildings. The Cathedral Choir School continued at this site until its closure in 1975.

The cathedral is built on Anglo-Saxon foundations dating back to 907. A Benedictine abbey was founded on the site in 1092 by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, dedicated to Saint Werburgh whose remains were housed there. The abbey was gradually extended until 1250 when the cathedral achieved most of the form seen today: it remained an abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries saw it become a cathedral and can thank the personal admiration of King Henry VIII for being left unmolested.