The Queen's Park Suspension Bridge connects The Groves with the affluent Queen's Park area of Chester. Queen's Park was planned on a greenfield site immediately south of the River Dee in 1851 by Enoch Gerrard. It was developed in the 1850s and 1860s as a middle class residential suburb. The Duke of Westminster originally intended to have the area laid out as a model industrial suburb but Victoria Pathway remains the only part of this vision that was realised. The residential development of Queen’s Park was slow and only four villas and two semi-detached pairs had been built by 1873. By 1910 the total had still reached only 17, although a further 10 houses had been built on St. George's Crescent to the south. The experience there, and at Curzon Park, suggests that the demand for exclusive property in Chester was smaller than the amount of sites available. On the southern edge of Queen's Park some smaller semi-detached houses had appeared in the mid 19th century around Victoria Pathway. There has since been extensive inter-war and post-war infill and eastward extension to the suburb.
The suspension bridge is the only footbridge to cross the River Dee in Chester apart from the footbridge attached to the railway bridge. It was originally built in 1852 at the instigation of Enoch Gerrard, Esq., the "projector and proprietor" of Queen's Park, the developing suburb across the river. According to Thomas Hughes, author of "The Stranger's Handbook to Chester":
"It was 'a pretty object in the landscape. Though of such spider-like construction, its capabilities and strength have been fully tested".
Chester Corporation took on the responsibility for this bridge in the early 1920s and decided to demolish it, The demolition took place in August 1922. It was replaced by a new bridge designed by Charles Greenwood, City Engineer and Surveyor. The opening ceremony, conducted by the Mayor of Chester, Councillor S.R. Wall, took place on 18 April 1923. It was superbly restored in 1998 and again in 2012.
The cache itself is a 'screw top' Microcache Capsule.
Stealth will be required.
** PLEASE NOTE **
There is no need to climb anywhere on the bridge structure to retrieve the cache. That would be dangerous and silly, so please don't do it!
This cache has replaced the excellent 'Suspension' https://coord.info/GCP1RW , which was in place for 13 years, amassing 141 Favorite points from 1033 visitors. Thank you to TheDiscoMessiah for letting me carry on this excellent location.
