Powys Court, Chester

History

The University of Chester has been making history since 1839, when it was founded by such pioneers as the great 19th-century prime ministers, William Gladstone, the Earl of Derby and a former Archbishop of Canterbury.

It is one of the oldest English higher education establishments of any kind, pre-dating all but Oxford, Cambridge, London and Durham, and its original buildings in the ancient city of Chester were the first in the country to be purpose-built for the professional training of teachers. Education degrees are now just a small part of the 130 course combinations on offer.

Food & beverage

Breakfast is served from 8 - 9.00am in the newly refurbished Whites Dining Rooms which are a 2 minute walk from the accommodation. A variety of hot and cold breakfast items are available.

The Binks Brasserie opens between 8:30am and 5:00pm (Monday - Friday) for drinks and snacks. 

Chester City Centre boasts a wide variety of traditional and international restaurants, cafes and bars.  

Grounds & Gardens

The main campus covers 30 acres on which a mixture of old and new buildings stand. There is a large sports field and a number of smaller landscaped areas which are tended by the University's own Grounds & Gardens staff. 

One of these areas is the award winning garden, which incorporates many historic elements of the Chester campus in Parkgate Road. Originally designed for the 2009 RHS Show at Tatton Park to celebrate the institution's 170th year, it has been re-built in the University grounds as a permanent Millennium Alumni Garden.

Resplendent with a stunning array of plants - from herbs such as chamomile, echinacea and thyme, to the fragrant flowers of the lavandula, and vibrant heuchera foliage- its theme ‘Let Knowledge Grow' is taken from a quote from Tennyson's poem In Memoriam, which appears in a stained glass window near the Chapel.