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Pictures of Beeston Castle

a Castle in the town of Tarporley, in the county of Cheshire

Looking outwards from the Inner Gatehouse, Beeston Castle in Cheshire.

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.
Please see below for other recommended attractions and towns to visit near Beeston Castle.

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Distances and directions shown below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Beeston Castle

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All attractions in Cheshire
Complete A to Z of attractions in England

Recommended towns near Beeston Castle

Tarporley, in the county of Cheshire (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.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Delamere, in the county of Cheshire (6.3 miles, 10.1 km, direction N)
The village of Delamere can be found in the midst of beautiful Cheshire countryside in an area of forests and rivers. It is...
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Nantwich, in the county of Cheshire (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.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Shocklach, in the county of Cheshire (8.9 miles, 14.4 km, direction SW)
Shocklach is a small rural hamlet set beside a tributary of the River Dee between Wrexham and Nantwich. It is a lovely...
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Chester, a Historic City in the county of Cheshire (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.
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Crewe, in the county of Cheshire (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.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Helsby, in the county of Cheshire (10.5 miles, 16.9 km, direction N)
Helsby is famous for Helsby Hill which rises to a height of 462ft, and has traces of an Iron-Age camp.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Audlem, in the county of Cheshire (12.2 miles, 19.7 km, direction SE)
A walk around the village reveals pleasant black and white timber framed properties, delightful cottages, and buildings of the Victorian era when the canal system and railways came to the area.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Widnes, in the county of Cheshire (15.8 miles, 25.4 km, direction N)
There is much that is Victorian about Widnes, this can be seen in the splendid public library building and the park named after a great Queen and Empress.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Knutsford, in the county of Cheshire (17.7 miles, 28.5 km, direction NE)
Its name derives from Canute, the great Danish King who is said to have journeyed this way when he quite possibly forded the local stream.
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All towns in Cheshire
Complete A to Z of towns in England

Nearby 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)
Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa(7.7 miles, 12.4 km, direction E)
Rowton Hall Hotel(8.0 miles, 12.9 km, direction NW)
Crown Hotel(8.1 miles, 13.0 km, direction SE)
Hoole Hall Hotel(8.8 miles, 14.2 km, direction NW)
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