Relive Browns of Chester memories in new museum exhibition

More than a Shop showcases stories from the Browns of Chester archives. It will be at the Grosvenor Museum until September 1, on display in the Coins gallery.

The free exhibition, available to visit on Tuesdays-Saturdays between 10.30am-5pm and Sundays from 1-4pm, is cared for by Cheshire Archives and Local Studies and showcases work by local creatives and people’s memories of Browns. Above all, it captures what the department store meant to its community.

The Browns of Chester exhibition will be at the Grosvenor Museum, where visitors can relive the memories of the iconic shop.

Cllr Lisa Denson, Cabinet Member for A Fairer Future, said: “Relive the memories of the iconic Browns of Chester. The building is now in new ownership, and we wait to see how it will once again welcome visitors to the city.

"The exhibition is inspired by people’s memories of Browns and the archive collection held by Cheshire Archives and Local Studies.

“Many thanks to the people who shared their stories and experiences of the famous store at a workshop and reminiscence recording session. This soundscape, posters and music composition were commissioned by the Cheshire West and Chester Arts Team as part of the Chester Rows High Street Heritage Action Zone funded by Historic England.”

The Browns of Chester exhibition will be at the Grosvenor Museum, where visitors can relive the memories of the iconic shop.

Browns of Chester was founded in 1780 by Susannah Brown. The department store was a pillar of Chester's commercial and cultural life. Its status and brand were such that when Debenhams took it over in 1976, it was the only shop in the chain which traded under its original name.

The closure of Browns department store in May 2021 marked the end of 230 years of continuous trading from the Grade I-listed building on Eastgate Street.

Geoff Bird is a radio and podcast producer with over 20 years’ experience making live programmes and documentaries. He is passionate about oral history and the platform it provides people to have their voices and stories heard.

Conversations were recorded by Geoff, which he edited to create an entertaining soundscape, that can be heard at the exhibition.

Extracts from the soundscape include: “Do you know, at one time Browns was known for looking after you from birth to death. They could organise a christening, they could organise engagement parties, your wedding and they could even bury you.”

“It was very old fashioned, Browns I think had sold out to Debenhams in the early 1970s. Debenhams was never mentioned, it was Browns of Chester, it was the principal shopping destination.”

The Browns of Chester exhibition will be at the Grosvenor Museum, where visitors can relive the memories of the iconic shop.

Cheshire Archives and Local Studies hold the full recordings.

Artist Lisa Harman is a letterpress printing and marbling artist who works from her studio in the crypt of Arthouse Café, Bridge Street.

Lisa helped members of the public create their own letterpress words inspired by Browns. She has also created a set of letterpress posters inspired by the collection of Browns marketing materials from the archives.

Other exhibitions at the museum include ‘Retracing Footsteps – The Changing Landscape of Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon’, ‘Sporting Life’, The Romance of Ruins - 'the Etchings of George Cuitt' and, returning in September, ‘Louise Rayner: Victorian Watercolour.’

Grosvenor Museum is closed on Mondays. Entry is free but donations are welcome.