Walls Of The Outer Bailey At Beeston Castle

SJ 55 NW, 5/9

BEESTON C.P., (Off) CASTLE ROAD, Walls of the Outer Bailey at Beeston Castle

(formerly listed as: Beeston Castle)

01.03.67.

G.V.

I

Section of walling, gatehouse and towers of outer bailey wall. c.1220 altered late C13/early C14. Built for Ranulf de Blundeville, 7th Earl of Chester. Roughly coursed red sandstone. There is a break in the walling at the point of the former gatehouse. The southern walling has six D-shaped and one rectangular tower. At the northern end of the wall are remnants of the southern tower of the gatehouse. Immediately to the left of this and adjacent is a later C15 or C16 square garderobe tower. To the left of this are 5 further D-shaped towers divided by curtain walling. Each tower has one or two lateral arrow slits covering the curtain walls. The northern walling has three D-shaped towers. At the southern end of the wall are remnants of the northern tower of the gatehouse. The lower courses of the walls and towers are all that remain, the upper courses having been demolished c.1646 or thereafter. On the death of Ranulf de Blundeville's nephew the castle passed to the Crown. In the late C13 and early C14 Edward I carried out modernising alterations. By the late C16 Leland described the castle as "shattered and ruinous". In 1643 it was partially repaired and occupied by parliamentary troops and taken by Royalist forces in the same year. It was partially demolished in 1646 to prevent its repeated use as a stronghold. Archaeological evidence of Bronze and Iron-age settlements on the site has been found.

Listing NGR: SJ5393159215