At 141 metres above Helsby there are great views to Wales, the Mersey river ,Merseyside and the mid Cheshire ridge of which this is the first hill .Park to the south near the old sandstone quarry and make for the trig point, as you approach it you'll pass the ramparts on your right.The ramparts are better preserved on the public side of the fence than on the farmed side , a bit strange that all the feet of the public did less damage than a few farmers ploughs.
I'm surprised a story like this hasn't been made into a film. William Lowdes abandoned his young wife and child, remarried illegally, and went off on a crime spree round the country. He got so good at stealing the mail, he got the nickname 'The Postmaster'. Eventually they caught up with him and in 1791 he was hanged at Gallows Hill in Boughton (now known as 'Barrel Well Hill'). His body was taken to hang from a gibbet on Helsby Hill (no doubt because of the smell), but according to Joseph Hemingway's 'History of the City of Chester' (1831) "the gibbet pole was in a short time after cut down by some people in the neighbourhood, and was not again erected." Just something gruesome to think about when you visit the fort.
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Posted by postman
Posted by Rhiannon
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