Mow Cop Castle

Mow Cop Castle is a ruinous folly built as a summer house in 1754 by Randle Wilbraham. It is constructed from coursed sandstone rubble. The structure features a round tower on the north side with a ground floor and a ruinous upper floor, along with an arch and broken walling to the south.

On the Cheshire front, the round tower is located to the left and has two porthole windows on the ground floor. Above this, there is a row of corbels and a pointed arch to the left. To the right of the tower, there is another pointed arch, followed by a section of ruinous walling that includes a low porthole window and half of a blocked pointed arch.

The Staffordshire side has a porthole window to the right of the round tower and a pointed arched doorway to the left. A row of corbels divides the floors, and there are two pointed arches on the first floor, with a corbel table below the parapet. To the left, there is another pointed arch and a rectangular surround to a sunken porthole window in the walling.

Originally, the round tower was less ruinous and featured Y-tracery in the pointed windows and a conical roof. It served as a summer house for the Wilbrahams and a neighboring family of Staffordshire landowners. In the late 18th century, the first meetings of the Primitive Methodists were held below the castle. The castle is situated on the county boundary.