Crichton Bespoke keeps the art of hand tailoring alive in Chester

Walk along Watergate Street in Chester and you might pass one of the city's most remarkable workshops without realising it. Crichton Bespoke is a handmade tailoring house based in the heart of Chester, and everything it produces is made by hand in its Chester workrooms.

In an age when most clothing is produced at speed and in huge volumes, that commitment to handwork is increasingly rare. Bespoke tailoring of this kind involves cutting a pattern for each individual client and building the garment by hand, with fittings along the way to refine the shape until it sits just so.

Crichton Bespoke combines its Chester roots with a presence on Savile Row in London, the street that has long been synonymous with the very best of British tailoring. Being able to offer that level of craft from a workshop on the Rows is a real asset for the city, meaning clients in Cheshire and North Wales need not travel to the capital for the genuine article.

The house's Watergate Street setting suits its work perfectly. Chester's Rows have been home to merchants and craftspeople for centuries, and a tailoring workshop fits naturally into that long tradition of skilled trades carried on behind historic shopfronts.

For clients, bespoke is about more than a perfect fit. It is the chance to choose every detail, from the cloth and lining to the cut of the lapel and the finish of the buttonholes, and to end up with a garment that reflects personal taste rather than a passing trend. Made well, such pieces can be worn for many years.

Whether it is a first suit for a wedding, a coat built to last or a jacket for a special occasion, a commission from Crichton Bespoke is an investment in craftsmanship that is becoming harder to find anywhere, let alone on your doorstep.

The process takes time, and that is part of its charm. A bespoke commission is a collaboration between client and tailor, built over several visits, and the finished garment carries the marks of that care in every seam. It is also a reminder that Chester's independent scene is about more than shops. Behind some of its doors, traditional skills are being practised every day.

Crichton Bespoke is at 26 Watergate Street, Chester. Visit crichtonbespoke.com.