We have had many pictures and memories of what Chester was like in the 1950s and 1960s, but not so many of the 1980s.
So when Chronicle reader John Murray contacted us to say he had discovered a pile of old Chester newspapers that had been under an old fireplace for more than 30 years, we were fascinated to see how much our city has changed since 1985.
The newspapers, a mixture of the former Cheshire Observer and free paper the Chester Mail, are all from the summer of that year and although the quality isn't great, feature advertisements for many of Chester’s once popular eateries including The Ponderosa, which showed how you could get a steak dinner for two for just £5.25 and Aphrodite’s Greek Restaurant which featured a live belly dancer on Saturday nights as part of its entertainment.
And perhaps you remember Blimpers discotheque on City Road where there was much controversy over The National Wet T-Shirt Contest which gave contestants the chance to compete for cash prizes of up to £2,000 – a great deal of money in those days.
Other things going on in 1985 Chester included a major power cut in Kelsall which left more than 9,000 homes in the dark for several hours, and Chester Inland Revenue worker Julia Bailey, a bride-to-be, getting tied to the steps of the Gateway Theatre by her colleagues just before her big day.
Cestrians were also encouraged to buy their new C reg cars from Lookers Chester and pupils from Westlea CP School in Upton handed over a £35 cheque raised by pupils, to Save the Family.
Though the quality of these photographs isn’t the best, due to the newspapers being crumpled up for more than three decades, it is still easy to see just how much Chester has changed since the 1980s.
Do you have any old newsapers of the 1980s? Email carmella.delucia@trinitymirror.com
