Chester Weir and Salmon Leap

Chester Weir and Salmon Leap is a Grade I listed weir and former causeway across the River Dee, constructed in 1093 by Hugh Lupus, the first Earl of Chester, for St Werburgh's Benedictine Abbey, now known as the Cathedral Church of Christ & the Blessed Virgin Mary in Chester. The structure is made of sandstone and features a continuous weir with a sloping spillway composed of large rectangular stones. It measures 120 meters in length and is positioned at an acute angle to the riverbanks, with its north-west end running parallel to the bank for 33 meters. This design was intended to create the necessary head of water for the medieval Mills of Dee, which were built and expanded from 1093 to accommodate six mill-wheels and machinery by 1270. The stone salmon leap has been altered, and there is a leat for a later mill, also altered, located by the south bank. The mills on the north bank were demolished in 1910, while the one on the south bank was taken down around 1970. Historically, the Mills of Dee were among the largest and most valuable in England during the 13th century, generating an annual rental of 270 pounds. The weir was restored in the early 20th century to support the City Council's hydro-electric power station, which operated from 1913 to 1939 on the site of the former mills.