Mow Cop is a village that straddles the Staffordshire/Cheshire border and Mow Cop castle has been a familiar site to anyone who has lived in the area in the last 250 years.

Prior to the castle some have suggested that the Romans built a beacon or watchtower on the site during their occupation of England. This idea is supported by the fact that the Romans had a small camp at Bent Farm, Astbury. The Romans built a road from Bent Farm through to Biddulph via the Nick O' Th Hill which would have bought them very close to Mow Cop. The coal, millstone grit, and limestone in the area would have benefited them greatly. The A34, which itself was an old Roman road, could have easily been watched over from a tower on the top of the hill. However there is no hard physical evidence of Roman occupation. It's quite likely any evidence would have been destroyed with the many years of quarrying and mining in the area.

The castle itself was built as a summerhouse in 1754 for Randle Wilbraham I of Rode Hall. It was built to look like part of a castle of a bygone era, and would have enhanced the view of the newly constructed Rode Hall, some 3 miles away on the Cheshire side of the hill. Mr Wilbraham employed local stonemasons John and Ralph Hardin, it is said they were paid 1 shilling a day, and one of the members of the family lost a hand while constructing the castle. The Wilbraham family used the summerhouse for picnics and entertaining friends on days out. In the early part of the 19th century, Miss Wilbraham wrote "We have always believed the family tradition, that towards the end of the 18th century, the Wilbraham then resident at Rode Hall built the tower. The wall was always broken so as to have effect off a ruin when looked at from the valley." She also wrote "We were accustomed to boil our kettle and have tea in it on calm days."

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