It’s few years since I’ve been to this place, not much known about outside Cheshire. It’s a former Royal castle built 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 castle and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century, when it was considered to be of no further military use. It was partly demolished in 1646 in accordance with Cromwell’s destruction order and during the 18th century the site was used as a quarry.
It’s thought 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. It’s also a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Photos don’t really capture it but the view from the top is amazing. If you survive the climb.
March 17, 2013 at 9:15 pm
Great post
March 19, 2013 at 12:28 am
Thanks