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Investigating the 1935-36 Beeston Castle Well investigation - can you help?Beeston Castle's inner ward well has long been served by myths, legends and folklore - hidden tunnels, Richard II's 'lost' treasure, lurking demons, and even its actual depth have all been the subject of much speculation and exaggeration over time. A tradition of vague unsubstantiated claims and untruths repeated by antiquarians and historians some centuries ago continues in earnest on YouTube and the rest of the internet today. Many people like their myths, legends and folklore, which they sometimes find more interesting and entertaining than facts.
In late 1934 a group of members of the Winnington Hall Club in Northwich resolved to investigate the legend of a secret tunnel that was said to run from the bottom of Beeston Castle's well to nearby Beeston Hall Farm. The Club's members were managers at ICI Winnington, and their project, commencing in early 1935, would eventually involve around 100 people from all levels of the company and beyond. Most of these people lived in the immediate area of Northwich at the time, along with a few others who lived in or close to Beeston and Bunbury.
This task would tax the investigation team's combined potholing, scientific and engineering skills to the limit, and would take up a lot of their spare weekends.
During my time spent volunteering with both the Sandstone Ridge Trust and English Heritage I have become interested enough in the 1935-36 investigation to research and document it in some depth, but a considerable gap in the available information remains.
Specifically there are very few photos of the ICI team's work, despite many having been taken, and although their project logbook survives, there must be many individual stories and anecdotes that have also survived in writing or through retelling within families.
It is the pursuit of this hidden treasure in the form of facts, not myths and legends, that is the purpose of this website. Maybe after studying our People and Photos pages you can help?
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