Halton Castle in Runcorn, Cheshire

What is it?

Halton Castle, in Runcorn.

What you can see is the Outer Bailey to the right, with the remains of the Square Tower to the centre-rear of the build.  To the right of that tower is what is left of the Lord's Residence, just above the trees that now grow on the slope of the hill immediately below the castle.  Up the centre of the build are the foundations of the old cells (from the gaol, or "jail" that was in use into the Twentieth Century), and to the left of those is the site of the Victorian Garden.  The Inner Bailey is to the left of the build.  The Courthouse is at the front of the castle and I have built her as she is today: A public house (the Castle Inn).  There are two cars visiting: One is parked at the front and another is driving away, around the roundabout in front of the castle.

Why did I build it?

I enjoy visiting castles with my family, enjoying watching my son, Billy, learn and explore them, so I thought I would try to recreate the castle in my old home town of Runcorn.  I did this because I love history and I like to honour the work of our ancestors.  This castle, built of local sandstone, represents a lot of Cheshire's past: Sandstone quarries in Runcorn provided building materials for many local towns and cities (and even went as far as New York, to help build her dock system); the castle, built on the remains of earlier Roman and perhaps Iron Age camps, shows a glimpse of human settlement through the ages; and her site, just south of the River Mersey, which she was built to control, shows the importance of maritime trade to the area.  This is the history of my town, which I wanted to represent in this build.

Will it make a great LEGO set?

Lots of people love castles, and it is a simple build, so perhaps!