You’ve been to a concert, you’ve bought a T-shirt – maybe you have a wardrobe full of merchandise – but, as a mega fan of Harry Styles, or, ‘Harrie’, you want more.
And now, thanks to the Holmes Chapel Partnership, an organization focused on the ongoing improvement of the East Cheshire village, Styles fans can sign up for ‘Harry’s Home Village Tour’, a £20 guided tour of the international popstar’s old stomping grounds.
However, while most Harries can think of nothing better to do than visit the homes of their old idols – including the Chinese restaurant where the former One Direction singer wooed Taylor Swift – not everyone is happy with the new initiative.
Produced by the Holmes Chapel Partnership rather than a collaboration with Styles or the team, the official launch of Harry’s Home Village Tour on Saturday attracted some criticism online, with one fan asking ‘Why has this been made up?’
‘Why is this made like HOME people’, the fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Harry’s Home Village Tour, which takes in sites including Mandeville’s Bakery where 14-year-old Styles (pictured) worked on Saturdays as a teenager, has received some criticism online.
Another said: ‘This is very strange. Monetising people’s childhood homes?’ The third asked, ‘Is this real?’ when the fifth is added, ‘this feels wrong’.
Others are concerned about the ethics of turning Styles’ home village into a pilgrimage site when the 30-year-old heartthrob is thriving.
He wrote: ‘This is very strange. Making monuments and tourists out of people who are alive and happy makes no sense to me.
Another, who ‘grew up next door to Holmes Chapel’ found the whole idea of Harry’s Home Village Tour unappealing, adding: ‘There’s no reason as someone who grew up next door to Holmes Chapel, the whole concept is fascinating to me. ‘.
While other fans seemed worried that Harry ‘couldn’t go home again because of the tourist traps’ but admitted that things were already moving in that direction as people have been visiting Holmes Chapel to retrace Styles’ childhood for years.
Still, guided tours starting in June and running through September are sure to be a hit with Harries – and are sure to sell out fast.
Harry Styles fans weren’t all that impressed with the idea of a guided tour, with a number taking to Twitter, formerly X, to express their concerns.
Some fans went against the grain at X and shared enthusiastic messages about the upcoming guided tour.
One fan posted: ‘It’s great that I can go’.
Another fan, who was equally excited, wrote: ‘OMG HE IS OFFICIALLY A LEGENDDDDD I LOVE HIM SM’.
When the third just confirmed he was leaving, he posted: ‘Booked’.
Lasting between two and a half and three hours, the walking tour will take in sites including Harry’s childhood home, his school, Mandeville’s Bakery – where 14-year-old Harry used to work on Saturdays – and Twemlow Viaduct, as well as the Fortune. The city restaurant where he took Taylor Swift.
Harries will also be able to take a selfie with a life-size cardboard cutout of 14-year-old Harry on the apron at Mandeville’s Bakery.
The 180-year-old Twemlow Viaduct has special meaning for Harry, who is famously the fifth member of the boy band One Direction, as it is where he had his first kiss.
It was also where he wrote his name in This is Us, a 2013 documentary about the band, which was born out of the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010.
Some fans are enthusiastic about the upcoming tour, making their excitement known on X
This Harry Styles fan visits Holmes Chapel Train Station on April 17, 2024 in Holmes Chapel, England.
Fortune City Chinese Restaurant, where Harry Styles once took Taylor Swift on a date
Thousands of Harry Styles fans from all over the world have come to the workplace of Harry Styles before he became famous: Mandeville bakery.
Since then, fans have descended on the viaduct to write their names and messages on what has become known as ‘Harry’s Wall’.
During the tour, fans of Harry will be unable to write on the walls of the Grade II listed Twemlow Viaduct.
But participants will be given a slate heart (included in the £20 ticket price) to decorate and leave on site. The heart will be collected by Harry’s father, Desmond.
Those who sign up for the official tour will also receive a ‘Harry’s Home Village Tour’ map, which offers exclusive deals with local shops and venues at Holmes Chapel.
Merchandise, including T-shirts and key rings with the tour’s official logo, will be available for purchase during the tour and online.
Fans under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult of at least 18.
In April, Holmes Chapel Partnership invited applications for the role of tour guide, open to those with a genuine interest in the village and its history as well as links to its most famous export.
Peter Whiers, chairman of Holmes Chapel Partnership, said: “We are going to start an official tour of Harry’s Home Village on Saturday mornings in June and every day in July, August and September, and will recruit Harry Styles fans from the age of sixteen to act as. local guide.’
The picture in the bakery is a photo of One Direction when they went into Mandevilles in their heyday
The railway bridge where Harry famously wrote his name in the One Direction film documentary – and fans are now flocking there to write their adoring messages to Harry.
Pictured visiting the Mandeville bakery (LR) are Victoria Kamps, 24, from Germany, Nicole Kinowski, 24, from Chicago and Magda J, 21, from Poland
Devoted fans from America (pictured) have traveled across the pond to visit local landmarks that shaped the popstar’s upbringing.
He added: ‘It’s been an incredible year with over 5,000 visitors and four TV crews making the pilgrimage as the Harries continue to come to Holmes Chapel.
‘Even the worst of the winter months have not stopped them from braving the muddy banks and rain boxes to pay their respects at Harry’s Wall on the viaduct.’
He continued: ‘But now we think it’s time for Holmes Chapel to improve what we can offer our young visitors and ensure they return home with an unforgettable experience in Harry’s village.’
The partnership is encouraging a large number of applications for tour guide roles and plans to hold a half-day assessment session on April 20 to recruit up to sixteen people.
The launch of ‘Harry’s Home Village Tour’ comes after Harry reportedly split from his girlfriend of 14 months, Taylor Russ.
