eeston Castle's construction was started by Earl Ranulf, the sixth earl of Cheshire, in 1225 on the 500ft summit of the outcrop of rock after he returned from the Holy Land to find his lands being threatening by the Welsh. The design of the walls that Ranulf built was possibly based on the walls of Constantinople. The summit of the hill is a nature defensive location and was originally the site of a settlement dating back to the Bronze Age. Two sides of the castle's inner bailey on the summit of the hill are protected by sheer cliffs and the other two sides are protected by a deep ditch cut into the rock. The inner bailey is also defended by a large gatehouse with two round towers and two more round towers in the inner walls. Every castle needs a well at its centre to supply fresh water and the well at Beeston is one of the deepest examples in England.The castle became the property of the Crown and improvements were made to its defences. In 1399 Richard II is supposed to have hidden treasure somewhere within Beeston Castle before being captured by the future Henry IV. Some treasure was discovered and handed over to Henry but some believe that there is more treasure to be found and the well is suspected to be the most likely location.
During the English Civil war the castle was commanded by a group of Parliamentarians who believed the castle could not be captured. But several skilled Royalist managed to scale the sheer cliffs on the northern side and took the castle by surprise. The Royalists held the castle until the end of the war at which point the Parliamentarians took control of it and ordered that it should be destroyed, and it has remained in a ruined state ever since.
