Norman Weir
Text: Chester City Council
The great weir or 'causeway' over the Dee dates from Norman times. It was probably built around 1092, when Hugh d'Avranches (Hugh Lupus)1st Earl of Chester, granted St. Werburgh's Abbey the right to build a corn mill on the north bank of the river by the Dee Bridge. The weir was constructed to channel the river to power the water wheels. Mills for fulling cloth were also erected on the south or Handbridge side of the weir.
The Dee Mills were exceptionally large. By the late 13th century there were six wheels used for grinding corn and the annual rental was £200 - as much as £50,000 in modern terms. Everyone in Chester was obliged to have their corn ground at these mills and the 'Jolly Miller of the Dee', popularised in song, made a hefty profit from his monopoly.
The weir was vital to the economy of Chester. In 1356, a lease for the mills bound the Crown to maintain the weir, but there were frequent complaints that it was in poor condition. In 1601 a large part of the causeway collapsed under the force of flood water and had to be repaired. By this time there were eleven wheels in action, six for grinding corn, three for fulling cloth and two for raising water from the river to a water tower built over the Bridgegate in 1600. The northern mills and the water tower can be seen in this view of the river dating from 1745.
Six of the Dee Mills and fishing rights on the river were controlled by the Gamull family, whose determination to preserve the ancient monopoly on grinding corn did little for their popularity but much for their wealth and power. They lived in Gamul House in Lower Bridge Street, one of the finest houses in the city.
During the Civil War siege of Chester in the 1640s, the weir and mills were subject to massive parliamentary bombardment. The fulling mills on the south side of the river were burnt down and the weir and Dee Mills were badly damaged. A Parliamentary Ordinance to demolish both weir and mills was strongly opposed locally because of the "misery" it would cause to the city. However, great breaches had been made in the weir, which had the effect of making the river more shallow and sandy. The weir was consequently blamed for the silting of the Dee and the decline of the Port of Chester.
In the late 18th century, the mills were purchased from the Crown by the Wren family who operated them until the were acquired by the City Corporation in 1895. The Dee Mills, which had been rebuilt many times since the 11th century, were gutted by fire and finally demolished in 1910.
The mills were replaced by a hydro-electric generation station. The weir was slightly raised at this time and although it no longer serves its original purpose, it still maintains water levels upstream and protects the water works from saline intrusion.
The mills on the southern side of the river survived until the 1960s. At this time they were used as snuff and tobacco works. They can just be seen on the right of this 1904 view of the weir. The structure moored to the left bank of the river is a floating swimming bath. In 1898 it was carried away by a flood and got stuck on top of the weir -not the first or the last time that vessels have had to be rescued from the weir!
Chester's Norman weir was a substantial feat of engineering, and although it has been repaired many times, the huge sandstone blocks of the original structure can still be seen as can the adjoining salmon leap. Today it is very popular with canoeists and is a haven for birdlife.