The main (more modern) Overleigh Cemetery in Chester, though its Wiki page says it’s on Grosvenor Road, lies just across Overleigh Road from Overleigh ‘Old’ Cemetery.

Overleigh Cemetery (without the ‘Old’) contains 197 Commonwealth War Graves. The most striking feature (in a War Memorial sense) is the Cross of Sacrifice. It is inscribed, “This Cross Of Sacrifice is one in design and intention with those which have been set up in France and Belgium and other places throughout the world where our dead of the Great War are laid to rest: their name liveth for evermore.”

It is unusual for any municipal cemetery in the United Kingdom to have a Cross of Sacrifice. Most, of course, have fewer than the minimum number of graves (30) to qualify for one. In this regard Overleigh’s 197 must surely be an outlier.

There are many indivdual war graves in Overleigh but the photographs below are of clusters or scatterings of graves:-

On our way out of Chester back to Gladstone’s Library at Hawarden we passed a cemetery and spotted the Commonwealth War Graves sign. On turning down the street (Overleigh Road) looking for somewhere to park we discovered there are two cemeteries, one either side of the road. Overleigh ‘Old’ Cemetery was the first we entered. I found 11 war graves there. Someone had placed knitted “poppy” wreaths on the graves.

Private J McElmeel, Royal Liverpool Regiment, 24/2/1919, aged 19:-

Private J Garvey, Cheshire Regiment, 2/7/1917:-

Private J Butler, Labour Corps, 20/3/19??:-

Private R Lord, Cheshire Regiment, 12/5/1915:-

Private J Kirby, Royal Welch Fusiliers, 26/9/1916, aged 23:-

Lance Corporal J Donnelly, Military Police Corps, 27/3/1917:-

Private M Leak, Cheshire Regiment, 4/6/1920, aged 38:-

Private J H Baker, Royal Army Service Corps, 9/9/1915, age 29:-

Private J H Roach, Machine Gun Corps, (Infantry,) 20/1/1919, aged 29:-

Serjeant J Stretch, Machine Gun Corps, (Infantry,) 16/5/1918, aged 38:-

Staff Serjeant Major W Steele, Army Pay Corps, 20/7/1918:-

Cheshire Yeomanry Memorial. “In proud memory of the officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the Cheshire (Earl of Chester’s) Yeomanry who gave their lives for their country in the Great War 1939 – 1945.”:-

Czechoslovak Memorial, “To the memory of Czechoslovak soldiers and airmen who fought with the Allies and sacrificed their lives during the 1939- 1945 war.”:-

Czechoslovak Memorial Information:-

There are several memorials to past conflicts inside Chester Cathedral.

The most ornate is the one for the South African War of 1899-1902, known as the Boer War, though it was the second such.

The Memorial is in red sandstone to match the Cathedral behind. It has a hexagonal base of four steps supporting a plinth bearing a cross.

It is inscribed, “Erected by a grateful city in honour of her sons who gave their lives for their country in the Great War 1914–1918. Their names are engraved on tablets of bronze in the Town Hall and their imperishable memory in the hearts of their fellow citizens.”

Inscribed on third tier here, “1939-1945”:-

Third view:-

The cathedral is up a side road and fairly hemmed in so not easy to photograph.

Side door, not used as an entrance when we were there:-

Detail, side door:-

From where we parked it was a short walk into the city centre over the canal with a Roman wall high above it:-

A street in Chester, showing typical timber-framed Tudor style buildings:-

Another street. Contains a shop called Rigby. Note clock (a Deco touch?):-

The impressive Town Hall building dates from 1869:-

In 2009 I posted photos of Art Deco buildings in Chester.

Last September we took a trip into the city again from our stop at nearby Hawarden. Since we were approaching the city by a different route I found some more buildings to photograph.

A block of shops on Christleton Road. Some Art Deco style here, roofline, rule of three in main building windows:-

I only noticed the above because I had stopped to photograph Tanner’s Wines. Note horizontals, verticals, glazing, rule of three in frontage, clock.

Frontage:-

Other side view:-

“Sunburst” doors. Deco par excellence:-

In the city centre were a few more buildings I’d missed the previous time.

Body Shop, minor Deco touches, (flat) roof line, rule of three in centre windows:-

Deichman. On the cusp of Deco:-

I managed to get Marks and Spencer this time:-

Detail. Note “sunburst” balcony:-

Apart from the suffix on my previous Durham post you knew this was coming anyway. I can’t seem to go anywhere without seeing Art Deco/Modernist buildings.

Somehow though and despite my experience in Chester last year, I thought pickings in Durham would be small.

Yet entering the main square in Durham the first building we came across was Boots.

There was construction work going on in the square which is why the photo is cropped tightly. Down a narrow street leading off the square there was this:-

I forget who the tenant of the building is now but the Burton’s shop in Durham at the moment is actually the other side of the street from this.

This is the view from the window of the car park we used.

I took this photo because of the roofline of the building just across the river which reminded me of the former Raith Cinema.

Just for contrast here’s one of the River Wear from below the Cathedral (and without any Deco.) There’s a weir stretching from the building on the left diagonally across the river and one of Durham’s bridges in the distance.

On the way out of town I pulled into a cul-de-sac to check the map. The street was full of thirties houses!

The third semi down still has its original Critall windows.

The last thing I expected to find in Chester on our trip was Art Deco buildings, but it was riddled with them.

Just outside the city wall, right where the clock is, lies this former Burton’s.

Almost opposite Burton’s was an Art Deco (former?) Marks & Spencer which was so tall and wide I couldn’t photograph it. I also can’t find a picture of it on the web.

Further along the same road was what is now a night club or something (called Brannigan’s and Lot 76) but looks as if it was once a cinema.

Most strikingly, and inside the city wall, was the now disused Odeon Cinema. A great example of Art Deco in the fascist tendency. On Flickr I found these pictures from when it was still open. I particularly like the trianguloid columns.

Here’s a very minor example of Art Deco just opposite Lot 76.