The Beautiful Former Roman Fortress With Gorgeous Architecture Less Than 1 Hour From Manchester Named The Prettiest City In The World – Beating Venice, Rome & Barcelona

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We rival the rest of the world on many things here in Manchester, but now a Roman settlement city just an hour outside Manchester has not only been officially named the prettiest in the UK, but the world. Now, this may be slightly underwhelming, but hear us out: Chester has been named the prettiest city in the world.

Online Mortgage Advisor analysed hundreds of streets and more than 2,400 buildings to reveal which city boasts the most beautiful buildings, on average. The site used some very scientific measurements, including proportions and ratios – apparently the ‘golden ratio‘ of beautiful buildings is 1:1.618 – as well as the façades of historical buildings on Google Street View.

What makes Chester prettier than Venice & Rome?

Chester came top of the bill, with its gorgeous Roman architecture and quaint streets, achieving a beauty score of 83.7%. Chester even seems to be the prettiest city in the world, given the top global prettiest city was Venice, coming with a score of 83.3%, and Rome, at 82%.

The full list of the prettiest cities in the UK

1. Chester, England (83.7%)
2. London, England (83.0%)
3. Belfast, Northern Ireland (82.9%)
4. Liverpool, England (81.0%)
5. Durham, England (80.5%)
6. Bristol, England (80.0%)
7. Oxford, England (79.7%)
8. Birmingham, England (79.4%)
9. Edinburgh, Scotland (78.9%)
10. Cardiff, Wales (78.9%)

The history & architecture of Chester, the prettiest city in the world

The Roman settlement of Chester is one of the most famous in the UK, and was originally established as the legionary fortress of Deva in AD 76 in an advantageous position close to the Welsh mountains on a raised outcrop at the lowest bridging point on the River Dee.

Deva was of great importance to the governance of Roman Britain and in establishing military rule in the north west. Over time Chester’s military importance declined, making way for trading and residential development outside the Roman walls (mainly around Foregate Street). At the same time the city was developing as a river port, servicing industry such as the lead mines in Flintshire.

What architectural elements in Chester contribute to its beauty score?

Now, the modern day look of Chester that has gained it the title of prettiest city, combines its Roman roots with plenty of other significant eras in its history, with the unique and intriguing legacy of The Rows, which are likely to have been built over the original Roman ruins, being a product of the Mediaeval period, after being the last town in England to fall to William the Conqueror.

It is thought that over time the street level of The Rows was rebuilt, possibly as a result of fires, leading to the building of the stone vaulted cellars that are an important part of Chester’s characteristic architecture. One thing’s for sure, the architecture of Chester works for us, so it’s not surprising that it’s been named the prettiest city in the world.

The prettiest global cities

1. Venice, Italy (83.3%)
2. Rome, Italy (82.0%)
3. Barcelona, Spain (81.9%)
4. Prague, Czech Republic (78.7%)
5. New York, USA (77.7%)
6. Athens, Greece (77.5%)
7. Budapest, Hungary (75.9%)
8. Vienna, Austria (75.8%)
9. Bordeaux, France (75.3%)
10. Milan, Italy (75.1%)