The Chester community comes together to celebrate 100 years of The Queens Park Bridge

On Sunday 16th April, the local community came together to celebrate 100 years of The Queens Park Bridge. The 1920s-themed centenary celebration, hosted here at Old Palace Chester was organised in collaboration with Chester Regatta and Chester Business Club. Old Palace Chester was chosen for the event as the venue sits on the banks of the River Dee, overlooking Queens Park Bridge itself.

Over 400 guests enjoyed our fine food and drink, along with live jazz and swing music from Natty Congeroo and the Flames of Rhythm. The event was attended by Samantha Dixon, MP for Chester, The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, John and Heather Leather, The Sheriff of Chester, Bob Rudd, and the chair of Chester Business Club, Roy Shelton. Also in attendance was Adrian Carr, the grandson of A.W. Carr, the former Sheriff of Chester who opened Queens Park Bridge 100 years ago.

The Queens Park Bridge was designed by city engineer and surveyor, Charles Greenwood. The iconic landmark has been a staple of Chester architecture since it was officially opened on 18th April 1923. The bridge connects The Groves with the Queens Park area of Chester and was originally built to allow residents to avoid congestion at The Old Dee Bridge.

Old Palace Chester was built in 1751, originally constructed to be the home of the Bishop of Chester, Samuel Peploe. The building was granted permission to become a wedding venue in 2017 and since then it has been the backdrop to many unforgettable weddings and events.

Here at Old Palace Chester, we believe that part of what makes our city so special is its rich history and we are proud to be part of that. We take our role as custodians of this historical landmark seriously, and we have found immense joy in carrying out restoration work on the property and rediscovering the building’s charm and heritage. It was wonderful to share this with the local community whilst celebrating another of Chester’s historical landmarks.

Jan Chillery, vice chair of Chester Business Club said “The Queens Park Bridge centenary celebration at Old Palace Chester was a fantastic opportunity to bring the local community of Chester together. I was so pleased to work with Old Palace Chester to organise this fantastic event.”