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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Paul Byrne & Lizzy Hawksworth

'We're huge Harry Styles fans - and we're finally visiting the village where he grew up'

Pop fans from around the world are making a pilgrimage to the little village where Harry Styles grew up.

And they are following his footsteps in one direction thanks to a handy map. Holmes Chapel in Cheshire has produced a guide for his devotees.

The two mile walking tour takes visitors past his childhood home and W Mandeville bakery, where he worked as a teen.

It also includes the Fortune City Chinese restaurant, where he took Taylor Swift when they were dating, and Twemlow Viaduct, where Harry, 29, signed his name in One Direction’s biopic This is Us, and which is now covered in messages from fans.

Harry Styles and Taylor Swift at Fortune City when they were dating (Brian Ho)
Harry Styles attends The BRIT Awards (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Judy Abdelikareem, 19, from Gothenburg, Sweden, said: “He’s like a superstar, that’s why everyone comes to visit. I’ve always wanted to come to Holmes Chapel and sign the wall and now I’m finally here.”

Inez Castanheira, 21, from York, said: “The village is really cute. The bakery was as well. We’ve seen loads of videos on TikTok about coming here, which was one of the main reasons we decided to come.

Izzy poses for a selfie with a picture of a young Harry Styles at the bakery he used to work at (William Lailey SWNS)

“We’ve been able to sign our names and write a message on the wall which is really nice. I wasn’t expecting it to look as good as this.”

Free tour guides are handed out to visitors at the village railway station. Ticket officer Graham Blake, 62, said: “It puts our village on the map. I’ve had to create a Facebook page for all of the fans.

Visitors follow the Harry's Village Walking Tour map (SWNS)

“We’ve had fans visit from Uruguay, Japan, Colombia, Canada and we’ve had loads of people from America. He has friends who live here, so I know he comes back to visit when he can.

“Everyone here has time for the fans and everyone here has a story about Harry. It’s such a small village so everyone knows everyone.”

Izzy leaves a message on Twemlow Viaduct (William Lailey SWNS)

Graham sold the singer a railcard when he was travelling down to the X Factor in 2010. He said: “He used to go down on a Tuesday and come back on a Thursday, so I sold him a young person railcard to save money.

“He was always very cheeky but very polite and would always ask you how you were and would make conversation with you. He really deserves his success.”

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