The Bridge of Sighs in Chester

Chester

Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...

 was a crossing that led from the Northgate

Northgate, Chester

The Northgate is in Chester, Cheshire, England, where it carries the city walls footpath over Northgate Street . It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.-History:...

 gaol to a chapel in the Bluecoat School

Bluecoat School, Chester

The Blue Coat School is located in Upper Northgate Street, Chester, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.-History:Before the school was built, it was the site of a medieval hospital...

. It was built to allow condemned prisoners to receive the last rites before their execution.

History

The bridge was built in 1793 and cost £20 to build. It crosses the Chester Canal

Chester Canal

The Chester Canal was a canal linking the south Cheshire town of Nantwich with the River Dee at Chester, providing a route for produce from Nantwich to reach Chester and, beyond it, the sea via the Dee estuary.-History:...

. The bridge originally had iron railings to prevent escape.
The architect was Joseph Turner

Joseph Turner (architect)

Joseph Turner was an architect of Welsh origin who worked in the 18th century. Most of his major works were in North Wales, and in Chester, Cheshire. Almost all of them were in Georgian style, with at least one work in Gothic style, in Mold, Flintshire, Wales...

.

After the Northgate Prison closed, Chester City Corporation tried to have the bridge removed in 1821.

The Bridge of Sighs has been designated by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 as a Grade II listed building.