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Digger
talks to Kevin Eames at Chester Ghost Tours. Chester is one of
the cities that claims the 'most haunted' title and here Kevin
explains why Chester is the perfect place to visit and why a
tour with Chester Ghost Tours is a must as part of your stay.
Chester Ghost Tours
Digger:
What is it about Chester that makes it such a ghostly haven?
Kevin:
Chester is one of the cities that vies for the title of
the Most Haunted City in England. It's history as
one of the largest Roman fortresses in Britain, close
to a Viking centre, close to the Celtic borders of Wales and
a large Royalist stronghold in the Civil War leaves a rich
tradition of largely oral cultures and stories. Add to
this that it has long been a major centre of trade and a
city populated by a rich aristocratic class. It is
only small as well which concentrates all this tradition in
a tiny area.
Digger:
When I have visited Chester, I was always impressed by the
fact you could keep dry when it was raining because of the
way their
old shops were built. Great design! What for you are
the main ingredients that make Chester a great place to
visit?
Kevin:
The 'Rows' you describe as well as the complete circuit of
Roman walls are Chester's glory. Add to this an
increasing awareness of it's Roman tradition, perhaps the
finest zoo in Britain, good restaurants and bars, one of the
oldest cathedrals in Britain, a wonderful riverside, it's
close proximity to the wilds of North Wales, the cities of
Liverpool and Manchester all make Chester a great place to
visit and to use as a centre for touring the area.
Digger:
How scared should people be prepared to be on your tours?
Kevin:
Very!! There are 2 main ghost tours in Chester.
The 'official' one (run by tourist info) which just tells
the stories without any real scares ... or ours, which
provides a bit of theatricality, fun and some surprises to
test the most 'cool' of customers!!
Digger:
What feedback do you get from clients and what have been the
best reactions?
Kevin:
Our feedback has been positive and our Facebook page has an
increasing number of fans. We ran 'taster' runs for
hoteliers and landlords at the start of the season and all
have been keen to promote us since. Our best reaction
is that we were asked to move the location of one of
our stories down one road by the police because the screams
of some of the customers were disturbing residents!!
The police were very nice about it and love having us in the
city.......
Digger:
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
Kevin:
It's a bit the case of bringing the stories to life and the
joy it gives to the customers. From a wary bunch at
the start, they soon get into it and by the end are full of
life and enthusiasm. That's very rewarding to any
performer!! On our tour we are all trained actors and
so we love audience reaction.
Digger:
How cooperative are the spirits on your tours?
Kevin:
The streets of Chester are busy in the evenings and
the main ones are difficult to work. We do have
several very atmospheric stops, though, and there is
certainly a spooky feeling to them. On our tour we also
like to give the spirits a bit of help - I'm not
telling ... but that's were most scares come from.
Digger:
How would you explain the phenomena that we usually refer to
as ghosts?
Kevin:
I must admit, I don't know. Our stories are all
genuine from the traditions of the city. Many
respected people claim to have seen the apparitions and
there can be no doubting the 'work' of Sarah ... the
most famous of the City's ghosts, who wrecked a shop in the
city centre. I firmly believe in the world of
spirits... but have never had personal experience of
any interaction. I suppose they may be down to
unfinished business............
Digger:
What plans have you for the future of Chester Ghost Tours?
Kevin:
We've been going now for 18 months and are developing a good
reputation. We were planning to stop after Halloween
(our big night!!!) but the demand is there for us to
continue through the winter. We are growing our
'corporate' market with more private tours booked
(office parties, Christmas do's etc). The more we get,
we can expand to tour to two different ones (there are
enough stories!!) and provide a more comprehensive coverage.
We are also looking at reviving some other local
traditions and making use of some of the rich historical
sites in the city to re-enact such events. This
is all at the planning stage, though .. so watch this space.
Chester Ghost Tours
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