Chester Local Customs

The Tourist Information office is situated in the Town Hall on Northgate Street.
Opening times:
April -September: 9 - 5.30pm Monday - Saturday
10 - 4pm Sunday

October - March: 10 - 5pm Monday - Saturday

There is also a Visitors Centre which can be found on Vicars Lane overlooking the Amphitheatre.

Opening times:

Monday - Saturday 9 - 5.30pm Monday - Saturday
10 - 4pm Sunday

Both have gift shops, toilets, hotel information and information on surrounding areas.

Chester is the only place in Britain that has maintained the tradition of regular midday proclamations at the High Cross, it is here that proclamations have been made since the Middle Ages. Chester's Town Criers, David and Julie Mitchell, are also the world's first husband and wife Town Crier partnership.

Tuesday-Saturday, May-August, at noon; 10.30am on Race Days

117 Foregate Street, Chester CH1 1

In front of St Peter's Church

March 2010

Do you believe in ghosts??? Do you want to? Chester is apparently one of the most haunted towns in the UK.
You can even go on a walk called the Ghostbuster Trail. These are held Thursday - Saturday, 7.30pm, June - October. Details from the Chester Visitor Centre.
On a web site you can read of all the ghosts that have been 'seen' or 'heard' in Chester.
Click on the link below

Chester still has a town crier. At the High Cross on the main street at 12 noon you can hear the cries of 'Oyez Oyez Oyez'. From May - August, Tuesday - Saturday.

This cross as I mentioned before was in the Roman Gardens and apparently recorded as being there in 1377. Due to wars and sieges it eventually became dismantled, part is now in north Wales, some of it vanished and this part remains and is now situated in the main street.
Junction Eastgate/Watergate streets

As well as the town crier, Chester has another unusual character on its streets.
This roman soldier is quite harmless and is available for tours of the city and will be happy to explain its roman history.
Just ask at the tourist centre.

LMS 46239 Coronation Class

The 46220-46257 Series or Coronation class locomotives are a group of steam locomotives built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway and introduced in June 1937. The Coronation/Duchess Class remains the most powerful steam locomotives built in Britain. The City of Chester was built in September 1939, withdrawn in September 1964 and cut up and disposed of in December the same year.

Oops Sabsi missed hearing the Town Crier on her visit as his crying season is May - August in 2003. However he was spotted during our visit in April doing some work for a mobile phone company - perhaps he texts his messages during the off season!

The town crier can be heard at midday by the cross from Easter to October. He's quite a comical chap and does his best to greet all visitors in their own language.