Search
Pictures of England
Please support this site
|
Pictures of Beeston Castle
About Beeston Castle
Set on a lonely hillside along the run of the Peckforton Hills, lie the ruins of Beeston Castle. It was built in the 12th-century by Ranulph de Blundeville, the 6th Earl of Chester, and was one of the first castle's to be built based on fortifications in the Middle East where the earl had travelled during the Crusades.
Ranulph chose his site carefully, access was difficult but the view must have been as it still is, singularly spectacular. The castle was to be built without a keep, its defence depended upon the strength of its wall towers and powerful gate-house. Unfortunately, Ranulph did not live to see completion of his dream, and neither did his son, who outlived him by only five years.
At this time, with no male heirs, the line ran out and both the earldom of Chester and the castle went to the Crown. Edward III used it as a base from which to mass his army against the Welsh. It was never used as a Royal residence, and once the Welsh campaigns came to an end, there was little use for Beeston.
The castle spent years in decline before it was taken on by a local landowner at the end of the 16th-century. Sir Hugh Beeston of Beeston Hall acquired it from the Crown. He used it as accommodation for members of his family, and farmed the lands.
When the Civil War broke out the Crown hastily reclaimed Beeston, which met with mixed fortunes. It fell first to the Parliamentarians and then to the Royalists. Chester surrendered in 1646, when the jubilant Parliamentarians set about tearing Beestons powerful walls down.
Very little remains of this historic building, but what is there is evocative of days long since passed, it is well worth seeing - so is the view of Wales and the distant Pennines.
Add attraction to favourites
Recommended attractions near Beeston Castle | (0.9 miles, 1.5 km) This modern day version of a 12th-century castle is set in the heart of the Cheshire Plains, an area which is scattered with..... Information | Pictures (2) | Hotels |  | (5.0 miles, 8.1 km, direction S) The village of Cholmondeley is famous for its fascinating, romantic castle, built in 1801 in the Gothic style. Built as the seat..... Information | Pictures (10) | Hotels |  | (5.2 miles, 8.3 km, direction NE) .. Information | Hotels |  | (7.7 miles, 12.4 km, direction N) Green lungs do not come more beautiful than the densely tree populated Delamere Forest Park found in a haven of countryside, near..... Information | Pictures (22) | Hotels |  | (9.1 miles, 14.6 km, direction NW) The extensive ruins of Chester Castle can be found on a hillside overlooking the River Dee in close proximity to where the county..... Information | Pictures (1) | Hotels | All attractions in CheshireComplete A to Z of attractions in EnglandRecommended towns & villages near Beeston Castle | (2.3 miles, 3.7 km, direction N) Attractive large village which developed as a coaching stop on the main London to Liverpool road during the 17th and 18th-centuries... Information | Pictures (10) | Hotels |  | (8.2 miles, 13.1 km, direction SE) Today, Nantwich is a busy bustling place of business and commerce that still manages to retain its unique 'Elizabethan' flavour... Information | Pictures (12) | Hotels |  | (9.6 miles, 15.5 km, direction NW) Chester, the county town of Cheshire, is one of the oldest and most complete walled cities with fantastic architecture and history... Information | Pictures (209) | Hotels |  | (10.5 miles, 16.9 km, direction E) Crewe has always been associated with its great railway junction, and it is from this point in the "hey-day" of rail travel that Crew began to prosper... Information | Pictures (3) | Hotels |  | (17.7 miles, 28.5 km, direction SW) Ellesmere, has a lovely 'holiday' atmosphere which gives it an 'away from it all' feel... Information | Pictures (1) | Hotels | All towns in CheshireComplete A to Z of towns in EnglandNearby travel help| Delamere Station | (7.1 miles, 11.5 km, direction N) | | Mouldsworth Station | (7.4 miles, 12.0 km, direction N) | | M53 Junction 12 | (8.8 miles, 14.2 km, direction NW) | | M56 Junction 14 | (10.7 miles, 17.2 km, direction NW) | | Liverpool John Lennon Airport | (15.7 miles, 25.3 km, direction NW) | | Manchester Airport | (23.5 miles, 37.9 km, direction NE) | | Beeston Castle to London | (155.9 miles, 250.9 km, direction SE) |
Accommodation & Hotels near Beeston Castle| Hotel Name | | The Wild Boar Hotel | (1.1 miles, 1.8 km) | | Peckforton Castle | (1.3 miles, 2.0 km, direction S) | | The Pheasant Inn | (2.7 miles, 4.3 km, direction W) | | Higher Huxley Hall Non-Smoking | (3.0 miles, 4.7 km, direction NW) | | Broxton Hall Country House Hotel | (5.2 miles, 8.4 km, direction SW) | | De Vere Carden Park Hotel Golf Resort Spa | (6.3 miles, 10.1 km, direction SW) | | Nunsmere Hall Hotel | (6.7 miles, 10.7 km, direction NE) | | Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa | (7.7 miles, 12.4 km, direction E) | | Ramada Chester | (7.7 miles, 12.4 km, direction NW) | | Rowton Hall Hotel | (8.0 miles, 12.9 km, direction NW) | | All of our hotels are available to book online & with special discounts |
|
User LoginUK Hotel SearchPicture Tours |