Kiss and Tell Tales Walking Tour of Chester
Kiss & Tell Tales Walking Tour of Chester
This year’s theme of love and romance has been skillfully woven into a series of daily City walks by our team of Blue Badge Chester City Guides until Valentine’s Day 14th February 2004.
On the day our route concentrated on the South West of the City including 6 old churches and the old castle site to the South. It finished by the old City Marketplace in front of the City Hall.
Everyplace or building of interest provoked a tale of romance, love, elopement and marriage in Chester from Roman times up to the Second World War. Motives for such goings-on were not always romantic. Marriages for money, or for political advancement and for commercial expansion made for more interesting tales about the famous or well-known. Even an odd case of “he spiked my drink’ not being resolved until 4 years of litigation!
In its day the assembly rooms in Watergate Street was the place to go to meet the opposite sex, “Tickets for unaccompanied ladies half price” shows that nothing changes. Wartime romances brought out the best in Chester. A parachute factory in Pepper Street resulted in white material falling into the hands of a local dressmaker who hired out wedding dresses in a range of sizes for the cost of cleaning on return – 5 shillings. White weddings were still possible despite clothes rationing.
At St Mary’s old church, now an education centre, petrol rationing resulted in a horse drawn wedding carriage being rolled out for a particularly demanding bride – it proved to be the wedding of the year.
Our tour lasted an hour and a half and proved to be most enjoyable and excellent value. Do try it before you miss it!
The walk can be pre-booked and starts from Chester Visitors Centre in Vicars Lane at 1.30pm. each day. Tickets £4.00 Adults, £3.00 Concessions, £9.00 Family (2 adults, 2 children)Tel: 01244 351609. This tour also available for groups call Clare Pritchard 01244 402445.
Return to Chester Festival of Romance 2005 listings
> Return to Client Press Office
