Top Chester Walking Tours

Opened in 1850, Overleigh Cemetery hosts many fascinating graves and monuments that reflect Chester's rich and diverse history. Every gravestone conceals a life story waiting to be told, and every grave has a hidden history. Led by a qualified and insured Green Badge guide, tours will include visits to around 25 of the most notable graves. Designed by a famous local architect, T.M. Penson, the cemetery was laid out "with admirable taste" and included two lodges, two chapels, and an ornamental lake with three islands. Humble graves were unmarked or had a simple wooden cross, while the better-off had grander memorials. You'll discover the extraordinary stories of some of those laid to rest here, including Mary Jonas, who had 33 children, including 15 sets of identical twins; Edward Langry, the husband of Edward VII's mistress, who went crazy and died in the local lunatic asylum; and William Bidulph Cross, who made his own illuminated coffin from wooden matchboxes.

Join Historian and Author Nick Kevern as he takes you around the pubs of Chester that featured in his book, The Noose of Samuel Burrows. During this exclusive tour by the author, you will learn more about Chester's infamous executioner and the crimes that led many to his gallows. In each pub, you will hear the fascinating stories about Samuel Burrows and the crimes of those who faced him on his grisly gallows as he sent them to their deaths during the era of public execution. You will also see images of Chester during his lifetime and the historic broadsides that told the criminal stories in all their gory detail. You will also hear an exclusive story that did not feature in the book and is only available on this tour. Copies of The Noose of Samuel Burrows are available to purchase from the Chester Visitor Information Centre and Ye Olde Cottage. At some venues, Burrows Noose English Pale Ale by Weetwood will also be available.