Beeston Castle Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston , Cheshire , England ( ) , perched on a rocky sandstone crag above the Cheshire Plain . It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville , 6th Earl of Chester , ( 1170 – 1232 ) , on his return from the Crusades . In 1237 , Henry III took over the ownership of Beeston , and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century , when it was considered to be of no further military use , although it was pressed into service again in 1643 , during the English Civil War . The castle was slighted ( partly demolished ) in 1646 , in accordance with Cromwell ' s destruction order , to prevent its further use as a stronghold . During the 18th century the site was used as a quarry . It is rumoured that treasure belonging to Richard II lies undiscovered in the castle grounds , but the many searches that have been carried out have failed to find any trace of it . The castle is now in ruins . The walls of the outer bailey , and the walls , gatehouse of the inner bailey have been separately designated by English Heritage as Grade I listed buildings . The castle is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument , owned by English Heritage . Prehistory . Beeston crag is one of a chain of rocky hills stretching across the Cheshire Plain . Pits dating from the 4th millennium BC indicate the site of Beeston Castle may have been inhabited or used as a communal gathering place during the Neolithic period . Archaeologists have discovered Neolithic flint arrow heads on the crag , as well as the remains of a Bronze Age community , and of an Iron Age hill fort . The rampart associated with the Bronze Age activity on the crag has been dated to around 1270 – 830 BC ; seven circular buildings were identified as being either late Bronze Age or early Iron Age in origin . It may have been a specialist metalworking site . Design . Beeston was built by Ranulf de Blondeville , 6th Earl of Chester , as an impregnable stronghold and a symbol of power . The siting of the castle ' s outer bailey walls was chosen to take advantage of the fortifications remaining from the earlier Iron Age rampart . In medieval documents the castle is described as " Castellum de Rupe " , the Castle on the Rock . It is one of three major castles built by Ranulph in the 1220s , shortly after his return from the Fifth Crusade . The others are Bolingbroke in Lincolnshire , and Chartley , Staffordshire , both of which share similar architectural features with Beeston ; in particular the design of the towers . Unlike many other castles of the period , Beeston does not have a keep as its last line of defence . Instead the natural features of the land together with massive walls , strong gate houses , and carefully positioned towers made the baileys themselves the stronghold . The defences consisted of two parts . Firstly , a rectangular castle on the summit of the hill , with a sheer drop on three sides and a defensive ditch up to deep in places cut into the rock on the fourth side . Secondly , an outer bailey was built on the lower slopes , with a massive gatehouse protected by a wide and deep ditch . The outer bailey was roughly rectangular , with thick walls faced in sandstone and infilled with rubble . The walls , parts of which still remain , contain a number of D - shaped towers , an innovation in English castles at that time . The towers allowed defenders to fire across the walls as well as forwards , and their open - backed design meant that they would not offer cover to any attackers who gained access to the outer bailey . The inner bailey was situated on the rocky summit at the western end of the crag . To provide the castle ' s inhabitants with a supply of fresh water two wells were dug into the rock , one of them , at deep , one of the deepest castle wells in England . Later history . Quarrying was carried out in the castle grounds during the 18th century , and the gatehouse leading into the outer bailey was demolished to build a track for the stones to be removed from the site . In 1840 the castle was purchased by John Tollemache , 1st Baron Tollemache , at that time the largest landowner in Cheshire , as part of a larger estate . In the mid - 19th century the castle was the site of an annual two - day fete , raising money for local widows and orphans and attracting more than 3000 visitors a day . Present day . The castle is owned by English Heritage , and although in ruins , enough of the walls and towers are still in place to provide a clear picture of how it would have looked in its prime . It is open to visitors and has a small museum and visitor ' s centre . A lodge house was built by Tollemache in the 19th century , and was expanded in the 20th century . The lodge is two storeys high , with two circular towers either side of a central archway . It has been designated as a Grade II listed building . Beeston offers one of the most spectacular views of any castle in England , stretching across eight counties from the Pennines in the east to the Welsh mountains in the west . References . Notes Citations Bibliography