Beeston Castle

#56 among destinations in the United Kingdom

Forts and castles, Top attraction, Historical place

Gallery (7)

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Photo details 1. Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Mike Peel / URL • 2. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / URL • 3. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / URL • 4. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / URL • 5. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / URL • 6. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / KTC / URL • 7. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). / URL

Facts and practical information

Beeston Castle, crowning a rocky crag with sweeping views over the Cheshire countryside, is a fortress steeped in history and legend. This medieval castle, now in ruins, was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, on the site of an earlier Iron Age hill fort. Its strategic location, on a high cliff, made it a vital defensive site for centuries.

The castle's remains include a deep well, rumoured to have been the hiding place for Richard II's treasure, which has never been found. Visitors to Beeston Castle can explore the ruins, which are managed by English Heritage, and enjoy the panoramic vistas that extend as far as the Welsh mountains and the Pennines on clear days.

Beeston Castle is not only a site of architectural interest but also a place of natural beauty, with woodlands and wildlife surrounding the ruins. It has been a source of inspiration for poets and painters, and its rich history is reflected in the stories and events that are part of its legacy.

Alternative names: Built: 1220 (804 years ago)Demolished: 1646Coordinates: 53°7'43"N, 2°41'35"W

Location

Beeston Castle Chapel LaneBeeston CW6 9TX EnglandUnited Kingdom

Contact

+44 370 333 1181

Website

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Day trips

Beeston Castle – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Oulton Park, Sandstone Trail, Peckforton Castle, Cholmondeley Castle.

4.7 miNE
Racetrack, Sport venue, Sport
Oulton Park, Tarporley
120 min walk • Oulton Park is a hard surfaced track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about 5 miles from Winsford, 13 miles from Chester city centre, 8 miles from Northwich and 17 miles from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection along the Mid-Cheshire Line.
0.9 miS
Hiking, Hiking trail
Sandstone Trail
23 min walk • The Sandstone Trail is a 55-kilometre long-distance walkers' path, following sandstone ridges running north–south from Frodsham in central Cheshire to Whitchurch just over the Shropshire border. The path was created in 1974 and extended in the 1990s.
0.8 miS
Forts and castles
Peckforton Castle
20 min walk • Peckforton Castle is a Victorian country house built in the style of a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton Hills one mile northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
4.9 miS
Forts and castles, Garden, Park
Cholmondeley Castle
126 min walk • Cholmondeley Castle is a country house in the civil parish of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, England. Together with its adjacent formal gardens, it is surrounded by parkland. The site of the house has been a seat of the Cholmondeley family since the 12th century. The present house replaced a timber-framed hall nearby.
2.1 miE
Church
St Boniface's Church
54 min walk • St Boniface's Church stands prominently in the village of Bunbury, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The church dates mainly from the 14th century.
4.7 miSW
Forts and castles
Maiden Castle
119 min walk • Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort, one of many fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age, but one of only seven in the county of Cheshire in northern England.
4.9 miE
Canal
Barbridge Junction
126 min walk • Barbridge Junction is the name of the canal junction located at Barbridge, Cheshire, where the Shropshire Union Canal Middlewich Branch terminates and meets the Shropshire Union Canal main line.
2.3 miE
Museum, Historical place
Bunbury Mill
59 min walk • Bunbury Mill is a watermill located to the east of the village of Bunbury, Cheshire, England. After being at risk of demolition, it has been restored as a working museum. The structure is designated by Historic England as a Grade II listed building.
2.3 miNE
Church, Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic architecture
St Helen's Church, Tarporley
58 min walk • St Helen's Church is in the village of Tarporley, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas.
5.1 miN
Forts and castles
Kelsborrow Castle, Kelsall
131 min walk • Kelsborrow Castle is an Iron Age hill fort in Cheshire, northern England. Hill forts were fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age.
3.2 miW
Church, Gothic Revival architecture
St Alban's Church, Tattenhall
81 min walk • St Alban's Church is in the village of Tattenhall, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice is combined with that of All Saints, Handley.