Beeston, Cheshire

Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ537593), perched on a rocky sandstone crag 350 feet (107 m) 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 bastion. During the 18th century, parts of the site were used as a quarry. The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument owned and managed by English Heritage. The walls of the outer bailey and the gatehouse and curtain walls of the inner bailey are recorded separately in the National Heritage List for England as designated Grade I listed buildings. A legend states that the royal treasure of Richard II was buried in the castle grounds but many searches have failed to discover the hoard.

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 (2 km) 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. The house was built in the middle of the 19th century as a family home for John Tollemache, a wealthy Cheshire landowner, estate manager, and Member of Parliament. It was designed by Anthony Salvin in the Gothic style. During the Second World War it was used as a hostel for physically disabled children. The Tollemache family used the castle for occasional gatherings, but otherwise it was unused until 1969. From 1969 to 1980 the castle was leased by the 4th Lord Tollemache to George W. Barrett, and it again became a private residence and closed to the public. The right wing and tower and the castle gardens were restored by Barrett, an American employed by the U.S. Government. His daughter Pascale's wedding was the first to be held in the chapel and a special decree had to be obtained by the Archbishop of Canterbury to legally hold Catholic weddings in the grounds of the castle. During the 1970s and 1980s it was used as a location for shooting films and television programmes. The castle was bought in 1988 by Evelyn Graybill, who converted it into a hotel. In 2006 it was purchased by the Naylor family, who expanded its use to include hosting weddings, conferences and other functions.

Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station served the Cheshire villages of Tarporley, Tiverton and Beeston. It was originally a stop on the Crewe to Chester line of the Grand Junction Railway.

Peckforton is a scattered settlement (centred at SJ538564) and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The settlement is located 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the north east of Malpas and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) to the west of Nantwich. The civil parish covers 1,754 acres (710 ha), with an estimated total population of 150 in 2006. The area is predominantly agricultural. Nearby villages include Bulkeley to the south, Beeston to the north, Higher Burwardsley to the west, Spurstow to the east and Bunbury to the north east. The Peckforton Hills form the western part of the civil parish with high points at Peckforton Point (203 metres) and Stanner Nab (200 metres). They are the source of the Weaver and Gowy rivers. Part of Peckforton Woods, largely planted in 1922, form a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The hills have been quarried since the Roman era. Peckforton appears in the Domesday survey of 1086. The earliest surviving buildings date from the early 17th century. Peckforton and the adjacent Beeston were part of an estate purchased by John Tollemache, Lord Tollemache in 1840. He had Peckforton Castle – a Victorian mansion designed by Anthony Salvin in imitation of a medieval castle – built at the northern end of the Peckforton ridge. Many of the local buildings were constructed for Lord Tollemache using brick in the 1860s and 1870s as part of the Peckforton Estate.

Tiverton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tiverton and Tilstone Fearnall, in the Cheshire West and Chester district and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It had a population of 406 in 2001, reducing to 318 at the 2011 census. Tiverton became a civil parish in 1866, on 1 April 2015 the parish was abolished to form Tiverton and Tilstone Fearnall; part also went to Tarporley. The former civil parish of Tiverton and the current parish of Tiverton and Tilstone Fearnall both include the hamlet of Four Lane Ends.

Haycroft is a deserted village in the civil parish of Spurstow, in Cheshire, England, located at SJ5553157178, immediately east of Haycroft farm. Aerial photography has shown evidence of a medieval village and a field system. The site is a scheduled monument.

Brassey Green is a small rural village near Tarporley, in Tiverton and Tilstone Fearnall civil parish, within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Brassey Green Hall is a two storeyed, 16th century farmhouse and a designated Grade II listed building. It is timber-framed with wattle and daub and rendered brick infill and a slate roof. The 18th century Brassey Green Baptist Chapel is also Grade II listed. Constructed with red brick and a Welsh slate roof, it was restored from 1983 after falling into disrepair. Although no longer a place of worship, it has since been used occasionally by youth groups.

Beeston Towers (later the Wild Boar Hotel) is a former country house near the village of Beeston, Cheshire, England. It stands on the A49 road some 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of the village. It was built in 1886 for John Naylor, a timber merchant from Warrington. Extensive additions were made in the early part of the 20th century. The building, described by one source as "like a bad dream of Little Moreton Hall", is timber-framed, with additions in rendered brick. It is in three storeys, with a tower of four storeys. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. During the 20th century the building was converted into use as a school. Later it was developed as a restaurant, and in 1998 an accommodation block was added, making it into a hotel. The hotel closed in 2017 and, as of 2021, the building was unoccupied.

The Peckforton Hills are a sandstone ridge running broadly northeast–southwest in the west of the English county of Cheshire. They form a significant part of the longer Mid Cheshire Ridge which extends southwards from Frodsham towards Malpas. Bulkeley Hill (grid reference SJ525552) stands at the south end, and the ridge is continued southwards by Bickerton Hill. The high points are Peckforton Point (SJ529557; 203 m), immediately north of Bulkeley Hill (224m), and Stanner Nab (SJ531573; 200 m), towards the northern end of the ridge. Settlements around the hills include Burwardsley to the west, Beeston to the north, Peckforton and Bunbury to the east and Bulkeley to the south. On Ascension Day the parishioners of St Boniface, Bunbury walk to the 200m summit of Stanner Nab for a service as the sun sets.

Spurstow is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which is located 6½ miles to the north west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the settlement of Spurstow Sketh and part of Radmore Green. The total population is a little over 400 people. Nearby villages include Bunbury, Haughton and Peckforton. The parish is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and contains a salt spring, which was formerly used as a spa.

Bunbury Aldersey School is a 5–11 mixed, Church of England primary school with academy status in Bunbury, Cheshire, England. It is located in the Diocese of Chester and recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Iddinshall is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Clotton Hoofield, in the Cheshire West and Chester district and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. In 2001 it had a population of 42. The civil parish was abolished in 2015 and merged into Clotton Hoofield.The parish contained one listed building, Iddinshall Hall, which is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. This is a brick farmhouse dating from the 18th century. To the southeast of the building is a moated site, formerly occupied by a building also known as Iddenshall Hall, which had been demolished by 1810. The site is a scheduled monument.