Chester House Estate celebrates second anniversary with launch of Halloween activities

Chester House Estate marked its two-year anniversary on Friday with the launch of its new Halloween activities, including a pumpkin patch, family crafts and a horror-themed walkthrough.

The celebrations were marked by a speech from North Northamptonshire Council’s deputy leader Cllr Helen Howell, who praised organisers and volunteers for their effort keeping the attraction going.

She said: “Two years ago on October 23, 2021, the Chester House Estate opened its doors to the public after a very long and difficult journey.

“Since then the site has gone from strength to strength, we’ve welcomed over 250,000 visitors.

"We are extremely proud to be the home and trustees of 10,000 years of history that’s still buried beneath our feet, and we’re committed to caring for, preserving and keeping the significant historical landscape accessible for everyone.

“We received so many questions from our inquisitive visitors about the history of the site, which is truly great to see and shows just how important this place is.

"In just two years the Chester House Estate has become Northamptonshire’s go-to destination for family friendly events and today marks the launch of our third Halloween programme.

"It seems like only yesterday when we first opened and started with our very own first Halloween offering. We’ve certainly improved year on year, and this one is bigger, better and spookier than ever.

“We have amazing staff and volunteers here at Chester House, and we consider every one of them to be part of our family, and we continue to support and encourage growth within that team.”

Bookings are now being welcomed for the opening of a new escape room, ‘Spellbound: The Witches of Chester House’, which David Laird, director of architects at Trapp’d, called ‘a fun-filled escape room is perfect for the whole family.’

Cllr Howell added: “It’s packed with puzzles, haunted headstones and masses of magic, a perfect addition to the Halloween season. I’ve had the pleasure of a sneak preview and I can honesty say you will not be disappointed.”

Cllr Jason Smithers, leader of North Northamptonshire Council, said: “After a successful two years, the Chester House Estate is now firmly embedded into the community, with businesses thriving and growing on site and visitors flocking to the events. The continued success is all down to the dedicated staff and volunteers, who constantly look to innovate and develop the offering.”

Chester House Estate rests on land that demonstrates over 10,000 years of human activity.

Chester Farm, as it was formerly known, opened two years ago on October 23 as the Chester House Estate, thanks to a £17m investment funded by North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire Councils and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In the time since it has hosted events and activities largely aimed at families and local people, with more than 4,000 school children visiting the site as part of its learning and engagement programme.

More information about the things going on at Chester House during the Halloween season, including how to book, can be found here.