Cheshire hailed by Tatler as 'celeb-filled land of Jimmy Choos and WAGs'

All eyes will be on Cheshire on Friday (June 7) as it hosts what's being dubbed "Britain's poshest wedding". The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, is set to marry his fiancee Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral, in an event that's expected to draw royalty and VIPs, including Prince William and Prince George.

The ceremony will take place in Chester, with the subsequent celebrations held at Eaton Hall, the private country estate of the billionaire Duke. The couple have also announced plans to make Cheshire their home post-wedding, further spotlighting the county.

Cheshire has received a glowing endorsement from Tatler, the society bible, which dedicated a seven-page spread to the county in its July issue. The feature, titled 'The Only Way is Cheshire', highlights the people and places that contribute to Cheshire's appeal, ahead of the Grosvenor wedding.

Tatler's report states: "The Duke of Westminster's wedding has put Cheshire back on the map" adding that the county, where WAGs mingle with countesses, was already thriving.

It concludes: "Socially speaking, Cheshire has arrived. But the real secret is this: this rural yet cosmopolitan stomping ground nestled in the underbelly of Greater Manchester and Merseyside has everything."

The map illustrates the "old money" western side of the county, where Eaton Hall is situated, and the ostentatious "new money" eastern side, which includes Prestbury, Wilmslow, and Alderley Edge's "Golden Triangle". These locales are known for their celebrity residents including WAGs, footballers, and stars of 'Real Housewives of Cheshire', reports the Manchester Evening News.

The esteemed Tatler magazine highlights a few distinct locations across Cheshire. One such place is The Hollies farm shop in Tarporley, which has been dubbed "the Daylesford of the North", in appreciation of its resemblance to the luxurious Cotswolds organic farm.

CPASE, the county's most prestigious gym, is also included in the magazine's feature. Its owner, Clare Stobart, owing to her social connections, has been regarded as the "sports-loving HRH of the county".

Celeb haunt Italian restaurant San Carlo gets the nod, described as "Alderley Edge's top tables for supercar-spotting and celebrity-gawping" and as "Cheshire's answer to Annabel's in Mayfair". The interiors of the £3m Italian restaurant are also praised in the magazine, as is boss Marcello Distefano who is described as "San Carlo's handsome founder".

Historic estates in the county, like Capesthorne Hall near Macclesfield, recently featuring influencer Molly-Mae Hague, Combermere Abbey, Cholmondeley Castle, and Bolesworth Castle near Chester are also given prominence.

Lastly, Coleen and Wayne Rooney's grand architectural marvel - High Lake Manor near Knutsford, represents a modern take on a stately pile and it too finds its place on the map.

The article states: "Cheshire is a shimmering land of exquisite art-filled estates... and home to grand families for generations; a land where passers-by in trackies are off-duty footballers like Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne; where Jimmy Choos are three-a-penny at the Alderley Edge charity shops; and where your neighbourhood garage is an Overfinch."

Knutsford, on the other hand, is described as "heaven sent" in the report, an "utterly charming, thoroughly well-heeled market town". The bar Dexter and Jones, opened by former Corrie star Adam Rickitt and his wife, GMB presenter Katy Rickitt, just before Covid hit, is hailed as the place to be in the town where "everyone who's anyone goes."

The feature concludes with: "Industry, footballers, the county set and the ultra-wealthy Duke of Westminster? Cheshire may be the new super-prime Surrey."

Manchester also gets a significant mention in the July issue of Tatler, which is currently on sale, with the city being hailed as "Style set central" after Chanel chose the city for its Metiers D'Art show here in November.

The fashion show was praised as: "A thoroughly haute homage to a city that so effortlessly balances work and play."

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