My aunt used to work for English Heritage and was the custodian of this castle in the 80s and 90s. It’s an awesome place that I loved visiting as a kid.

The buried treasure myth was a childhood thrill, and the caves were used as a filming location for the 1991 Robin Hood film!

But no, not THAT 1991 Robin Hood film… the other one!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood_(1991_British_film)

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This is really awesome! It makes me think the creators of the Last Kingdom did justice to the books by Bernard Cornwell, who knows his stuff. It's really neat and helpful seeing the little replica.

One of the things that enticed me to move to the UK was the opportunity to work in or around the plethora of history the UK has.

I’d love to work for English Heritage or the Royal Trust, something like that. Sounds like your aunt had a cool job! I hope to get there some day!

"Across from the castle at Beeston, you can also see the hill next door which houses Peckforton Castle, Built in the 19th century for the MP Sir John Tollemache."

I spent a couple of nights there (Peckforton) just after Christmas.

Was in the UK to visit family and had a few trips planned, looking at accommodation around Chester and asked my partner "have you ever stayed in a castle?"

My partner is Aussie, even though they have a long history here they are quite lacking in castles, she was pretty pumped..

I’m lucky to live nearby to this castle, I took my kids there last year and it was a cool experience. Just a worn of warning it’s a fairly steep climb up that castle, so if you have young kids consider a pushchair or be prepared to carry them!

I lived in a student house closish by whilst I was at uni, there was a time team type episode the year after we moved out where they dug up our garden (and the pub next door) and found ruins of a monastery!

I take it back, it was near Beeston Nottingham - the pub was the Boat Inn. Our house was 1000% haunted

Is there any way of getting there without a car? From Chester for example

It’s literally in the middle of nowhere, so not unless you fancy a decent bike ride or hike.

How does the British Robin Hood from 1991 compare to the Kevin Costner extravaganza that we grew up with across the pond?

It's not easy to get a push chair up there either, my parents always tell the story of how they had to carry me to the top in my pram like I was in a sedan chair haha

Oh interesting, I happen to be doing some research on the Beeston family, as I may be tangentially related. Couple of fun facts:

The castle is named for Sir Hugh Beeston, son of Sir George Beeston. Hugh was well connected in Cheshire and London. From 1594 to 1603, he was the receiver general for the crown for Cheshire and North Wales. Beeston was elected to Parliament for four different boroughs in the late Elizabethan period.

Hugh was close with Sir Walter Raleigh. "In November 1603, Dudley Carleton reported that Sir Walter Raleigh, while being interrogated for his part in the Main Plot, had asked whether Beeston had been ‘apprehended and tortured, because he was always of his chiefest counsel’. This seems to have induced some kind of a temporary breakdown in Beeston, but there is no evidence that he was suspected of having played a part in the Plot."

Raleigh called upon Beeston to deliver a message on his execution day. (sadly the note would not be read, as the sheriff blocked the request, unable to read it as he had left his reading glasses at home).

His father, Sir George Beeston was the longest serving courtier/gentlemen pensioner of the Tudor reign, holding that title from 1547 to at least 1589. He was an accomplished sea captain in the Royal Navy, hence Hugh's connection to Raleigh.

https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/beeston-sir-george-1520-1601

In 1588, at the age of 69 (!), Beeston was given charge of the Dreadnought in the battle vs the Spanish Armada. The Dreadnought was perhaps the fastest, most modern ship in the fleet, having been a radical new design by Mathew Baker. And Beeston may have been the oldest of the captains in command. He was knighted on the Ark Royal by Lord High Admiral Howard after the battle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_ship_Dreadnought_(1573)

Honestly I thought they meant men in tights, but that came out in 93

Oh I grew up with the same one as you I imagine. It wasn’t until years later that I saw this other one. Not as fun or as campy as the Kevin Costner one. And no amazing theme song that reigned supreme on the charts for like forever!

I hope you do too, good luck with the dream!

Thank you for all this info, it’s really interesting and has sent me down yet another English history rabbit hole.

And I love your username, it totally rocks (sorry, couldn’t resist. I’ll see myself out).

Back in the 80s I used to go there when it was a ruin. It was called Treasure Trap for a while and was home to D&D LARPing. It was pretty off the hook, you had to assume your character as soon as you went through the gatehouse onto the grounds. The action was 24/7 and on more than one occasion we were raided in the early hours. It was meant to be acting but the fighting was actually pretty brutal. The 1st day we ever went 2 people were take away in an ambulance on 2 separate occasions. It was a simpler time long before the internet. Edit - found a link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Trap

I remember reading that when I looked up the history of the building, was sat in their "cellar bar" trying to imagine larpers running around the corridors.

Sounded absolutely fantastic, also very cool it kickstarted the movement in the UK.