A weekly newspaper founded in the 1770s will no longer have a presence in the city it serves after its owners announced its office is to close next month.

The Chester Chronicle’s Sealand Road office in the city will shut on 12 July leaving the newspaper without a base in the community for the first time in its 244-year-old history.

No jobs have been put at direct risk by the move, but according to the National Union of Journalists, around 14 journalists on the Reach plc-owned title will be expected to work from home or from other Reach offices in the region.

These could include the offices of the Liverpool Echo, 27 miles away from Chester, the North Wales Daily Post in Colwyn Bay, 39 miles away, or the Manchester Evening News, 40 miles away.

Chester Chronicle FoC David Holmes with a commemorative issue of the paper’s first edition in 1775

The move will mean Reach, which launched its CheshireLive website less than a year ago, will no longer have any offices in the county. The office of sister title the Crewe Chronicle closed five years ago.

However Chris Walker, regional managing editor for Reach’s North West and Wales division, remained upbeat about the prospects of the site and its sister print titles.

He said: “We’re pleased to say that it has been a strong year for CheshireLive and our print titles the Chester and Crewe Chronicles.

“Reducing operating costs will enable us to continue to build on the success of CheshireLive and retain our talented journalists based in Cheshire, who will continue to serve the region and report on the topics that are important to our local audience.”

The NUJ has described the timing of the move as “odd” given the launch of CheshireLive last September.

David Holmes, Cheshire FoC and Chronicle chief reporter, said: “It’s a very sad moment in the long and illustrious history of the Chron, which was first published on 2 May 1775, by founder John Poole during the reign of George III around the time of the American War of Independence.

“Deleting our office from the community we serve and scattering the Chester-based team to the four winds will be a challenge both in continuing to provide the same high quality coverage and for us as individuals.

“The timing of the decision is also odd given CheshireLive was only launched last September. The chapel believes this sends out an unfortunate signal to our readers and advertisers at an important time of transition.”

David, who has written for The Chronicle for 20 years, added: “The company has not completely closed its ears to the possibility of reopening a city based office for the Chester Chronicle and CheshireLive in future.

“The NUJ hopes this option is given serious consideration both for the good of the business and its hardworking employees.

“The Chron continues to perform well in difficult trading conditions, while CheshireLive is just beginning to hit its stride. Our fear is the office closure will undermine the success we have achieved so far.

“It would unforgivable if these actions led to the demise of a trusted and respected publication that is due to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2025.”

Chris Morley, NUJ Northern and Midlands senior organiser, added: “Clearly it is preferable that if cuts have to be made, that it is not yet another lopping of jobs which have been badly depleted in recent years.

“But members have well-founded fears that losing a symbolic but significant physical presence in the county capital will set a tone that will make their task of convincing local readers that the company is serious about supporting their interests so much harder.

“We really hope the company will remain open to constructive suggestions and does the right thing to make any closure as least damaging to existing staff as possible.”