Record number: CHEGM: 1976 145

Description: 'Beeston Castle, Cheshire' by George Barret the elder (1728/32-1784), oil on canvas, c.1770. Beeston Castle stands on an isolated rock rising high (225 metres) above the Cheshire plain. It was begun by Ranulph III, 6th Earl of Chester, c.1220 and was largely destroyed by Parliamentary forces in 1646. This dramatic view of the ivy-clad ruin shows the inner gatehouse, its best preserved feature. The inner gatehouse is counter-balanced by the tree on the right, and the small, brightly-clad figures animate the composition and accentuate the scale of the architecture. George Barret, a popular Irish landscape painter, made this painting for Sir Peter Leicester of Tabley Hall, Northwich. Purchased with help from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and The Art Fund.

Creator: George Barret Senior (1728/32 - 1784)

Date: circa1770

Period: 18th century

Dimensions: height 87 cm; width 137 cm