Today the park consists of 100 acres (40 ha) of follies and landscaped parkland grounds and rocky outcrops, based around the ruins of the medieval Red Castle.

The park endured a century of neglect and decay until an ongoing programme of restoration was started in 1990, enabling it to be re-opened in 1993.

It takes a 2.5-hour hiking tour to completely see each folly and their landscapes (a reasonable level of physical fitness and mobility is required and there are many steps, ascents and descents).

This Norman enclosure castle was built of sandstone on a natural outcrop of rock, flanked on all sides by wide valleys.

[6] John Tuchet, 4th Baron Audley (1371–1408) inherited the title via his sister, then survived the uprising of Owain Glyndŵr and the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, where he fought against Henry "Hotspur" Percy.

His son James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley (1398–1459) was killed by Sir Roger Kynaston, whilst leading the House of Lancaster at the Battle of Blore Heath in 1459.

[6] In the sixteenth century, the manors Soulton and Hawkstone (the latter of which includes the village) were obtained in 1556 by Sir Rowland Hill, the coordinator of the Geneva Bible[7] who is associated with Shakespeare’s play As You Like It.

Sir Richard Hill, 2nd Baronet (1733–1808) took over on his father’s death in 1783, published a guide for visitors and built the 'Hawkstone Inn' to accommodate them.

He engaged landscape gardener William Emes to build a vast manmade lake, the Hawk River and his follies included a 'ruined' Gothic architecture Arch on Grotto Hill, the urn, a tribute to an English Civil War ancestor, the Swiss Bridge, and the 100-foot (30 m) obelisk with an internal staircase, topped by a statue of the original Sir Rowland Hill.

His extravagance and bad management caused a descent into a mess that was inherited in 1875 by his son, Rowland Clegg-Hill, the 3rd Viscount Hill (1833–1895) who was bankrupt by the time of his death in 1895, forcing the sale of the contents of the hall and then the split up of the estate by 1906.

The original eighteenth century statue was a copy from an ancient monument, which before the fire of London stood in the church of St. Stephens Walbrook.

Member in several Parliaments for this County, on the 1st day of October, in the year 1795; who caused it to be erected, not only for the various uses of an Observatory, and to feast the eye, by presenting to it at one view, a most luxuriant and extensive prospect, which takes in not less than twelve (or, as some assert, fifteen) counties; but from motives of justice, respect, and gratitude to the memory of a truly great and good man, viz.

Sir Rowland Hill, Knt.... he became one of the most considerable and opulent merchants of his time, and was Lord Mayor of the same, in the second and third years of Edward VI, anno 1549 and 1550, and was the first Protestant who filled that high office.

Having embraced the principles of the Reformation, he zealously exerted himself in behalf of the Protestant cause, and having been diligent in the use of all religious exercises, prayerful, conscientious, and watchful (as a writer of his character expresses it), yet trusting only in the merits of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, he exchanged his life for a better, a short while after the death of that pious young monarch, being aged nearly seventy years.

For a considerable time previous to his decease, he gave up his mercantile occupations, that he might with more devotedness of heart attend to the great concerns of another world.

His lands, possessions, and church patronage, were immense; particularly in the counties of Salop and Chester; the number of his tenants (none of whom he ever raised or fined) amounting to one thousand one hundred and eighty-one, as appears from his own hand writing.

But his private virtues, good deeds, and munificent spirit, were quite unlimited, and extended-like the prospect before us, East, West, North, and South, far surpassing all bounds.

"Being sensible," saith Fuller (speaking of him in his "Worthies of England"), "that "his great estate was given him of God," it was his desire to devote it to his glory.

The adaption of a somewhat unusual location for a medieval castle provides a valuable insight into the development of military architecture in this region in the 13th century.

The upstanding remains of individual buildings, including those cut into the rock, contain important architectural features.

This once contained elaborate decoration which included shells, slag, coral and ore-encrusted walls and coloured glass in its windows.

[29] In a compartment at the west end of the garden of this building is a cemetery for priests associated with the former Redemptorist seminary located at Hawkstone Hall from 1926 to 1973.

The landscape was used to represent parts of Narnia in the BBC's TV adaptation of C. S. Lewis's books in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988 and Prince Caspian a year later.

Where fragrant Bowers and peaceful Caves abound, Where craggy Rocks with green eternal crown'd Frown on the Vale, in which quiescent stands The silver Lake expansive; where the Tower, Relict of ages, casts a mournful shade Along the turf, 'neath which the bones are laid Of warriors once exalted high in power, Who wielded here, in martial line, the sword:- Where Order dwells with rude Disorder wild, In scenes-tremendous these, those sweetly mild: - Spirit!

[38]Hawkstone follies is currently combined with an adjacent hotel (formerly a lodge of the hall) marketed in association with the Principal Hayley Group golf course.