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Heritage Chester Festival celebrating Chester's history & heritage

🧹 Fancy a few hours that really make a difference? ✨Next week, you have an invitation to join our Rows Volunteers Day as...
26/10/2026

🧹 Fancy a few hours that really make a difference? ✨

Next week, you have an invitation to join our Rows Volunteers Day as part of Rowvember!

There’s something really special about rolling up your sleeves on the Rows. You’ll be part of a friendly team, chatting with fellow volunteers and passers-by, spotting details you’ve never noticed before - and by the end of the session, you’ll see the difference you’ve made right in front of you.

Together, we’ll be:
🕸️ Sweeping away cobwebs
🧽 Deep cleaning walkways and stalls
🚫 Removing graffiti
🎨 Adding a fresh lick of paint

No experience needed - just bring your enthusiasm! Come on your own, grab a friend or bring your colleagues along for a team day with a difference.

📅 Mon 2nd & Tue 3rd November
⏰ Morning session from 9am, afternoon session from 1pm - come for one or both!
📍 Meet at the Cross
👟 Wear sensible shoes and old clothes you don’t mind getting grubby

Can’t make those times? Just come along when you can, look out for our volunteers along the Rows and they’ll point you in the right direction. 👉 https://buff.ly/mJGvi34

Image: stuartrobinson.photography

🩸 Godfrey Garland is open for business TODAY! 🏰Our medieval surgeon has sharpened his tools, fed his leeches and is read...
26/10/2026

🩸 Godfrey Garland is open for business TODAY! 🏰

Our medieval surgeon has sharpened his tools, fed his leeches and is ready and waiting at King Charles Tower for his first brave visitors of half term...

Pop up to the tower on Chester’s City Walls this morning to meet Godfrey and discover the gruesome, gory and downright bizarre world of medieval medicine. Will you dare to meet his thirsty leeches? Don’t worry, you’re safe... probably. 😬

📅 TODAY, Mon 26th October, 11am - 1pm
📅 Also Tue 27th & Thu 29th October, 11am - 1pm
📍 King Charles Tower, Chester City Walls
🎟️ FREE, family-friendly and drop-in - just turn up!

Image: stuartrobinson.photography

🧚 Folklore & Fantastical Architecture Walkshop 🐉Look closely at the buildings along Chester’s Rows and you’ll find a who...
25/10/2026

🧚 Folklore & Fantastical Architecture Walkshop 🐉

Look closely at the buildings along Chester’s Rows and you’ll find a whole world of curious faces, strange creatures and mysterious figures carved into their facades. But what stories lie behind them?

Join local guide Matthew Bridson of Here Then Heritage for a family walkshop - part walking tour, part creative workshop! Matthew will reveal the folktales and old lore of Cheshire, from mythical beings to strange local traditions, using the Rows’ ornate carvings as inspiration.

✏️ Along the way, youngsters will draw their very own folk character and create a miniature tale to take home. All drawing materials are provided - just bring your imagination!

📅 Two dates to choose from:
🗓️ Sun 15th November, 11am - 12:15pm 👉 https://buff.ly/NJKGpHB
🗓️ Sun 22nd November, 11am - 12:15pm 👉 https://buff.ly/CDel8em
📍 Meet at Chester Cross
👨‍👩‍👧 Children must be accompanied by a paying adult

Our hosts added some more seats, but they got snaffled up so fast we couldn't tell anyone! Just one ticket left up for g...
25/10/2026

Our hosts added some more seats, but they got snaffled up so fast we couldn't tell anyone!

Just one ticket left up for grabs if you would like to join us for this very special evening! 🍷🕯

⚔️ A City under Siege: Chester in the English Civil War ⚔️By the end of Chester’s long Civil War siege, the city had bee...
25/10/2026

⚔️ A City under Siege: Chester in the English Civil War ⚔️

By the end of Chester’s long Civil War siege, the city had been brought so low that “weeds were growing in the main streets”.

Hear the story of those turbulent years in a pub that lived through them - Ye Olde Boot Inn on Eastgate Row, which first opened as an inn in 1643.

📜 Dr Sam Chadwick, early modern historian, explores why war broke out, Chester’s role in the conflict, the siege itself and the Boot’s own place in the story

🛡️ Mike Graham, reenactor and local history enthusiast, brings the period to life with the clothes, equipment and experiences of the common soldier

📅 Tue 3rd November, 6:30pm - 8pm
📍 Ye Olde Boot Inn, Eastgate Row
🎟️ Places are limited - book now 👉 https://buff.ly/X7mQ2vP

The talk starts promptly at 6:30pm, so arrive a little early to grab a drink from the bar and find your seat. 🍺

🩸 Half-term horrors at King Charles Tower! 🏰Godfrey Garland, our medieval surgeon, has set up shop in King Charles Tower...
25/10/2026

🩸 Half-term horrors at King Charles Tower! 🏰

Godfrey Garland, our medieval surgeon, has set up shop in King Charles Tower this half term - and he’s looking for brave visitors to help with his work...

Climb up to the historic tower on Chester’s City Walls, meet Godfrey and discover the gruesome (and sometimes bizarre!) world of medieval medicine. He might even introduce you to his thirsty leeches - don’t worry, you’re safe... probably. 😬

📅 Mon 26th, Tue 27th & Thu 29th October, 11am - 1pm
📍 King Charles Tower, Chester City Walls
🎟️ FREE, family-friendly and drop-in - no booking needed!

The perfect spooky-season adventure for curious kids (and grown-ups with strong stomachs)! 🎃

Image: stuartrobinson.photography

⏳ One week to go until Rowvember! 🏛️From 1st - 30th November, we’re celebrating Chester’s one-of-a-kind Rows with a whol...
25/10/2026

⏳ One week to go until Rowvember! 🏛️

From 1st - 30th November, we’re celebrating Chester’s one-of-a-kind Rows with a whole month of walks, talks, workshops and more.

Whether you walk the Rows every day or you’re discovering them for the very first time, there’s something for everyone:

🚶 Walks and tours - see the Rows through fresh eyes, from expert-led architecture tours to the Rows after dark

🎤 Talks and storytelling - dark tales, forgotten histories and the people who shaped the city

✏️ Workshops and activities - get creative, get involved and lend a hand

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-friendly fun - events and activities for all ages to enjoy together

🏛️ Building of the Day - every day throughout November, we’ll share a glimpse into one of the remarkable buildings on the Rows, right here on our socials

Best of all, a great deal of Rowvember is completely free! 💜

Some events have limited places, so take a look at the line-up and book your spot 👉 https://buff.ly/VciIRg7

✨️ More Rowvember events just added! ✨️Our Rowvember programme keeps growing - here’s a taste of what’s been added to th...
24/10/2026

✨️ More Rowvember events just added! ✨️

Our Rowvember programme keeps growing - here’s a taste of what’s been added to the line-up:

⚔️ A City under Siege - 3 Nov
Uncover Chester’s Civil War siege with a historian and a reenactor at Ye Olde Boot, which opened as an inn in 1643

🔍 Crime Control and the Chester Rows - 10 Nov
See the Rows through a criminological lens with University of Chester criminologists

🧚 Folklore & Fantastical Architecture - 14, 15 & 22 Nov
Discover Cheshire’s folktales hidden in the carvings of the Rows with Here Then Heritage - including family-friendly walkshops on 15 & 22 Nov

💎 Lowe’s Museum Exclusive Open House - 17 & 24 Nov
Step inside Lowe & Sons’ Edwardian interior and private museum. Very limited spaces!

🔥 Chester Rows Fire Detection - 18 Nov
Find out about the pioneering system protecting the Rows - the first of its kind installed outdoors

🍻 Heritage Pub Club - 19 Nov
Relaxed chat and networking for heritage, history and museum lovers at B**r Heroes

❓ Where Are the Rest of the Rows? - 23 Nov
The Rows once ran all the way to the river - so what happened? A tale of a vanished church, a collapsed Row and the mystery plays

🏺 Archaeology and Life in the Rows - 24 Nov
What past excavations reveal about the people who lived and worked in the Rows

🏠 53 Lower Bridge Street Open Hour - 26 Nov
See the remains of a lost Row and a grand fireplace in the former Dollectable shop as it becomes a pub

Many events have limited places, so book early - and there’s still more to be announced.
👉 https://buff.ly/VciIRg7

Image: stuartrobinson.photography

🏛️ John Douglas on the Rows 🏛️Few architects have done more to shape modern Chester than John Douglas - and there’s no b...
22/10/2026

🏛️ John Douglas on the Rows 🏛️

Few architects have done more to shape modern Chester than John Douglas - and there’s no better place to see his work than the Rows.

Join us for a walking tour exploring the influences that inspired him, the methods behind his designs and how the Victorians approached conservation and restoration. You’ll look closely at buildings you may have passed a hundred times and discover the thinking - and the heritage debates - that brought them to life.

📅 Sat 14th November - two tours to choose from:
🕚 11am - 11:50am 👉 https://buff.ly/eAcWtv9
🕐 1pm - 1:50pm 👉 https://buff.ly/vpohWfw
🎟️ Places are limited - book now!

🧹 Help the Rows shine this Rowvember! ✨For over 700 years, Chester’s Rows have been at the heart of city life - and this...
21/10/2026

🧹 Help the Rows shine this Rowvember! ✨

For over 700 years, Chester’s Rows have been at the heart of city life - and this November, you have an invitation to help care for them.

Join our friendly volunteer team for the Rows Clean, as we sweep away cobwebs, deep clean walkways and stalls, remove graffiti and add a fresh lick of paint.

Why get involved?
💜 See the difference straight away - there’s nothing quite like walking the Rows afterwards knowing you helped them look their best
🤝 Meet like-minded people - come on your own, with friends or bring your colleagues along for a team day with a difference
🏛️ Get up close to history - spend a few hours noticing details you’ve walked past a hundred times
🌿 Give something back - a few hours of your time helps care for a place that’s unique in the world

Come for a morning, an afternoon or both - every pair of hands makes a difference!

📅 Mon 2nd & Tue 3rd November
⏰ Meet at the Cross at 9am or 1pm
👟 Wear sensible shoes and old clothes you don’t mind getting grubby

Can’t make those times? Just look out for our volunteers along the Rows and they’ll point you to the event coordinator 👉 https://buff.ly/QXW4qid

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