South Eastern Chapel - The Church of St John the Baptist

very interesting place to have a look around plenty of information boards scattered around

When I walk among these atmospheric moss-covered ruins, I always get a vivid sense of their long history. They formed the eastern end of the Church of St John the Baptist, which stands on the site of a Saxon minster believed to have been constructed with stones from the nearby Roman amphitheatre. During the Middle Ages, the church was very grand and twice the size it is now, and for a short time it was Chester's first cathedral, but at the Dissolution it was demoted to a parish church and the chancel and three medieval chapels were left to fall into disrepair. Despite their ruined state, I got a good impression of their former grandeur as I walked around. Lots of squirrels scurrying about among the autumn foliage. Don't forget to look up to see the medieval coffin embedded in an arch. The church itself is well worth a visit and gives you some idea of what the Norman cathedral looked like.

The church of St. John the Baptist is a beautiful structure, worthy of a good long visit in Chester. Among its lovely architectural features is one singular item itself worth a look - namely a medieval coffin hewn out of a single piece of oak and set in the east facing wall of the church's now ruined west tower. An epitaph reading dust to dust" is inscribed in Olde English inside this odd decoration - most likely during Victorian times. The origin of the decoration is credited to the rector of the church during the 19th century