Beckington Castle

Beckington Castle stands in the quiet village of Beckington in Somerset. Built in the early 17th century on the site of a medieval building, it is now a Grade II* listed structure. The house has served many roles over the centuries, from home to nobility to a hotel and school. It was once owned by James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough, who was Lord Chief Justice and Lord High Treasurer. Later owners included local merchants, the Chislett family, and George Esdaile, who bought it for £450 in 1870. The castle has a rich history tied to notable figures. Edward Milles Nelson, a President of the Royal Microscopical Society, owned it from 1902 to 1926. Captain John Hamilton, later the 3rd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, lived there, and his son Archie Hamilton, a politician, was born in the castle in 1942. The building has also been a hotel, an antiques showroom, and a school called Ravenscroft from 1945 to 1970. Today, the castle is used as offices by Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd. Its architecture features three tall gables with copings and finials along the front, and a wooden spiral staircase inside a three-storey projection by the entrance porch. The grounds are well kept, and the building is said to be haunted, even advertised once as more desirable because of its ghostly reputation.