Chester Weir

Chester Weir is a sandstone structure that spans the River Dee and sits upstream from the Old Dee Bridge. It controls water flow and stores water for various uses while preventing tidal water from moving further upriver.

It was built in 1093 under Hugh Lupus, the first Earl of Chester, to power the medieval mills of St Werburgh's Benedictine Abbey. This early construction was essential for Chester's economic development over the centuries that followed.

The structure shows medieval engineering skill and shapes how the river looks through the town today. Visitors can understand here how water power was central to the city's growth.

You can see the structure from the river bank and watch how water is managed at this point. It is easy to reach and gives you a good view of the medieval construction and the surrounding river landscape.

This location has the only weir gate in the United Kingdom, a low lock gate that links the River Dee to the Shropshire Union Canal. This rare technical feature shows how medieval water structures and later canal development came together.