A fairytale castle in Tarporley with a fresh taste for fine dining

There are few places in Cheshire that make an entrance quite like Peckforton Castle. Rising from the wooded ridge near Tarporley, with its towers, battlements and dry moat, it looks every inch the medieval stronghold. In truth it is a Victorian dream made real, and these days it is one of the county's most memorable places to stay and dine.

The castle was built between 1844 and 1850 for John Tollemache, the wealthy Cheshire landowner and MP who later became the first Baron Tollemache. He commissioned the architect Anthony Salvin, who designed it in the Gothic Revival style as a recreation of a castle from the time of Edward I, arranged around a walled courtyard. It reportedly cost £60,000 to build, and during the Second World War it served as a hostel for physically disabled children.

Today it operates as a 48-bedroom hotel, and its dining room has recently been given a new lease of life. The castle's award-winning 1851 Restaurant reopened in summer 2025 after a major refurbishment, with Executive Head Chef Brian Hughson leading the kitchen.

Hughson brings more than 30 years of culinary experience from around the world, including time in the kitchens of The Savoy Grill, The Dorchester and Mirabelle in London. He is known for his passion for locally sourced produce, which suits a restaurant surrounded by some of the richest farmland in the North West.

The menu is modern European, and the room itself has been reimagined with a serene, muted cream palette, stylish wallpaper and sophisticated new lighting. Artworks by local artist David Kereszteny Lewis complete the look, giving the historic space a contemporary, distinctly Cheshire feel.

For those making a night of it, the appeal is obvious. Few hotels offer the chance to wander stone corridors and turreted courtyards before dinner, and the castle's setting on the Peckforton Hills puts guests within easy reach of walking routes along the Sandstone Trail and the neighbouring ruins of Beeston Castle.

As the nights draw in, a castle stay feels especially fitting, and the hotel has offered festive Christmas packages for guests who want to spend the season somewhere truly out of the ordinary.

Peckforton Castle is near Tarporley. For rooms, dining and offers, visit peckfortoncastle.co.uk.