Crime Control and the Chester Rows: A Guided Tour

Crime Control and the Chester Rows: A Guided Tour runs on Tuesday 10 November, from 10 am to 11 am, starting at Chester Cross. It's a walking tour of the Rows, the city's historic arcades, read through a criminological lens rather than as a typical heritage stroll. The walk is led by Criminology staff from the University of Chester and organised by Heritage Chester.

Over the hour, the tour stops at five key locations to uncover a long history of crime, punishment and the struggle to keep order. The aim is to show how architecture, law and power shaped the city's approach to wrongdoing over the centuries: who held power, who was policed and how the buildings themselves played a part. It's an in-person walk, so you'll be on your feet and moving through the Rows rather than sitting in a room listening to a talk.

Because it's led by the university's Criminology staff, the focus is on the criminological side of things — the why and how of crime and control — rather than just a list of old cases. It's a way of seeing the Rows as something more than just shopping galleries, as spaces where the city's laws were enforced and its social order maintained.

It's a free tour, with tickets booked through Eventbrite. The meeting point is Chester Cross, 46 Watergate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ (What3Words: jars.cover.valid), and it runs from 10 am to 11 am on Tuesday 10 November.