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How did you get up there ?

Lovely videos. Always remember coming here shopping as a child. Did you work here? Which part did you work in?

Fascinating little video,I wish I took more notice now when I shopped occasionally in here.Stunning shop I hope one day all the fake walls etc are removed and the building is shows all its originality ♥️♥️ its beautiful x Thank u so much for this little trip down memory lane ♥️♥️

Honestly love these videos, such charm and character to this department store, hope it’s future owners preserve its charm. Nice to see you upload again ❤😊

So sad Browns of Chester is no more, it was a wonderful shop. Had a lovely afternoon tea in the Crypt 4 years ago.

I remember it being a formal, traditional tearoom in the 90s then a coffee shop in the 2000s

Amazing

What’s on the first and second floors of this building? Flats?

HI Maria, I have found each of your videos amazing, filled with so much detail and information. I worked in the store in 2002, when the the modernisation happened and left in 2004 to work with Scarborough store. and always found the store amazing. These videos have really taken me down memory lane. It's such a shame the store closed, must have been devastating seeing it all coming to an end. Best of Luck Maria, again great set of videos that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks very much for posting this - hope there is a happy ending for the building

Fantastic Maria, thank you, the two stockrooms above and below each other were mine many years ago, the last one you went into with the red floor has a ghost in it, I always felt that someone was right behind me, thanks again 👍👍👍

Simply wonderful

fantastic

An interesting video, lotsa information, going to be a real time capsule in future years!

Maria these are fabulous videos I'm so sorry to see Brown's like this I have such wonderful memories of working with you in the blue room. Big hugs. X

My husband and I said hello to you in Bridge Street today. I bought my Wedding dress from the Blue Room, 47 years ago!

I was outside the shop this morning and took some photos, I also visited Warrington Debenhams and took photos of the same, witnessed the closing of Trafford Centre Debenhams store, took loads of photos and the staff waving goodbye as the shutters came down. Did you have a similar goodbye "ceremony" outside Brown's ? Is there any films of it ? Thank you for showing us the hidden gems and warrens of Brown's. I enjoyed it 👍

Needs a facelift crumbling plaster weeds paint etc

Well done on an amazing collection of memories and hidden secrets 🥰I wish you all the best for the future 💐

Thankyou for sharing these videos-they bring back many many happy memories of working in this beautiful building. Tears and laughter alike. Can only hope she gets more use and like you’ve said-is looked after and respected. The old girl deserves it. Take care you💜💔💜

Even things like this - using the lift - make up the memories of this store. Thank you so much for all of these videos. I’ll really miss this place as a customer, so I can’t imagine how the staff must feeling right now.

Yes I always remember these main lifts because of the interesting voice that makes the floor announcements 😂, I have memories of that in particular dating back many years. I know it’s not an original feature but I always loved how quirky these lifts are. I will miss these lifts too as well as the rest of the store.

Kind of a pity it was hidden behind a fake ceiling!

Thank you for this very interesting snap shot behind the scenes, my wedding and bridesmaids dresses came from here [1982], and have spent many a happy hour [or 2] with friends or by myself, just munching about, in this beautiful building, sad times, lets hope it comes to life again in the not so distant future.

I’m pleased that this building is being documented, as a loyal customer I’ve been shopping here all my life, I have memories shopping here spanning back to when I was 5. So I’m going to be very sad to see Browns of Chester close down. It’s great that this place is being documented like this, it’s really important to preserve the history of a historic shopping icon. I’m definitely going to have to visit this store again today for the last time whilst I still can.

Wow, this is really taking me back. Thanks for your time in putting these together. That building really did have a personality. :)

Maria, you have done a brilliant job with these videos I hope you will be able to film some more before the end, they are a really important social history and you have told me things I wasn’t aware of after 22 years working in this wonderful store, I finished over two years ago working for Sheridan for fourteen years , I wish every member of the team the very best, a lot I am proud to call friends , if you would be able to film the second floor I would very much appreciate it as I don’t feel able to visit in person, I can’t tell you how important I think these videos are because one day someone is going to realise the building should be restored, a great use for it would be a museum to the history of shopping, it has every period represented, from the Georgians onward, a perfect attraction for Chester and the UK, I have been saying for years people will soon be saying “oh do you remember when we used to go shopping” well it’s here now partly the internet, partly COVID, but it is here Again I wish everyone the very best for the future, and Maria I hope you keep going with your channel’s Ian xxx

A fitting tribute to the store and its history 👍

Very good, very interesting and so many changes.....

Really enjoying these videos

Thank-you for producing these videos - they are really interesting - really interesting to see the bits of the building we never see and hear about the history. Chester will not be the same without Browns.

Thank you I am loving your videos.

Thanks for sharing these videos-bringing back many happy memories (and some spooky ones!) Such a shame to see the empty rooms now. Sad to see it coming to an end and very sad that so many peeps are losing their jobs 😔

I could weep for the closure of this store. I used to love the “posh” creaky carpeted floors as a child and remember the record department downstairs as a teenager in the 70’s. It is such a huge building and I cannot imagine what is going to replace it - probably converted into expensive apartments no doubt. Another one bites the dust. Shame.

Wow! Thanks for sharing these fascinating videos, Maria. It’s an incredible building at the heart of Chester

This is incredible. Even though it wasn’t long ago I loved spending time in department stores and Browns in particular. How do you have access to this? It’s such a shame to see the old department stores die out. Thanks so much. I love these grand old buildings

Hi Maria, those two raised octagonal lead roofs @ 8 mins 22 seconds are the remnants of stained glass skylights above the perfumery. Presumably blocked-up in the '60's/'70's when the air conditioning was installed. Stephen

Hi Maria, thanks for posting these videos! They are very interesting and bring back memories of the '80's/early '90s when I had several holiday jobs at Browns when studying architecture. This area was actually an external lightwell (hence the disused skylights and windows) and the white glazed bricks simply reflected as much daylight as possible. It seems it was floored-over at 1/F level at some point in the '80's. FYI, the tall mirror by the grand staircase was originally a beautiful stained glass window with a similar lightwell behind; until Bollands (next door) finally closed and the building was rebuilt at the time of the Grosvenor Precinct around 1965. This is part of the 1915 extension constructed after Bollands moved next door (see "Browns and Chester", pages 183-187). There are many blocked-up skylights throughout the building, including two octagonal-shaped ones in the perfumery (the lead upstands are still visible in the video you recently posted of the 1/F roof behind the "Blue Room"). Also, have you spotted the huge skylight on the 2/F in the 1918 extension that is (or at least was) visible above ceiling tiles? Until 1947, there was a beautiful lightwell beneath it down to the ground floor. I have quite a few old plans if you are interested..

Wow! This is absolutely fascinating! Thanks so much for sharing this, Maria

It's so sad to see it like that

Fascinating! Thank you for sharing

Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this!