Jo’s Monday walk : Interrupted, in Knaresborough

It was Mother’s Day back in the UK, and I was fancying a treat.  Somewhere I hadn’t been in a while definitely appealed, and Knaresborough fit the bill very nicely.  This North Yorkshire market town lies on the River Nidd, and an iconic railway viaduct carries passengers into town, high above the river.  Even on a rather murky English day, it’s a splendid sight.

We parked just off the A59, on the edge of town, and strolled towards the centre.  Almost immediately we become aware of one of the quirkier aspects of Knaresborough, the painted trompe l’oeuil windows that adorn many of the buildings.

Town Windows illustrate characters and events from the town’s long history, and you can download the guide to find them all.  Many of the Georgian buildings were designed with blank windows, to avoid paying window tax.  The town has no shortage of interesting characters, two of them sitting side by side on benches in Market Square.  Sculptures, of course!  Ursula Southeil, a medieval seer, was known as Mother Shipton, and was said to have been born in a cave south of the town.  ‘Blind Jack’, or John Metcalf, lost his sight following smallpox in childhood, but that did not prevent him going on to become an accomplished violin player, and later a pioneering road builder.

I followed my nose into Green Dragon Yard, in search of tearooms, but was immediately distracted by the artwork.  ‘Art in the Mill’ is a contemporary gallery situated in a former flax mill.  The manufacture of linen was a cottage industry in Knaresborough, and flax was combed by hand in the mill, which dates from 1808.

Castle ruins with a mighty history next.  Built in 1100 by a Norman baron, Hugh de Moreville sought refuge there in the 1170s, after assassinating Thomas Becket.  In 1205 King John invested considerable money strengthening the castle, to use as a hunting base for Knaresborough Forest.  It was here that the first Royal Maundy took place, on 5th April, 1210, with the giving of alms to 13 poor men.  Extensions and rebuilding, including the Keep, were completed by the King Edwards.  The castle survived intact until 1648.  It was taken by Parliamentarian troops in 1644, during the Civil War, and was largely destroyed by them, as a Royalist stronghold, by decree of Parliament.  Admission details here.

It’s in a wonderful situation, looking down onto the viaduct and the weir.  Most of the town is at this upper level, steps leading down through gardens to the riverside, far below. Our intention was to follow the river beneath the overhanging cliffs, find the Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag, and then to cross over to the far shore.  As it happened the chapel wasn’t open, but it’s a pleasant wander, with the river meandering below.

There was a house or two that might have suited, though probably not the fortified House in the Rock.

A text message disrupted further progress.  Might we be heading to Leeds, half an hour away, where our son was happy to be included in the Mother’s Day celebrations?  What else do you do when your grown up offspring has time to spend with you?  The other bank of the river would certainly keep for another day.  But first, a scone for sustenance.  Honey Bees at Hannah’s, on Castlegate- simply scrumptious!

And a few more murals.  They’re great, aren’t they?  I hope to get back to Knaresbrough in the Summer, and show you Mother Shipton’s Cave.  For now, we’ll pop the kettle on and settle in for a good read.

Please find a little time to visit these, especially if it’s somebody you don’t know.  Many thanks to all you lovely contributors and patient readers.  Anyone can join in.  Just see my Jo’s Monday walk page for details.

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Drake to start us off again this week, with a hint of North African sunshine :

Glimpse of Tozeur

It takes more than a bit of Scottish weather to put Anabel off a lovely jaunt out!

A walk on Great Cumbrae

Candy shares beautiful images of nature in the north of Portugal.  And there’s cake!

The NIS PR3 walk at Velada

It’s that gal with the long post titles again!  Cheers, Marsha :

Why you don’t want to overlook the Boggy Creek Airboat Ride

How to open a pomegranate!  You never know when you might need this.  Thanks, Jackie!

Let’s do Lunch

And to wash down all that food, Lady Lee has a solution :

Sunday at the Beer Garden

You know what I’d really like to do?  Join Irene in the desert :

Morning Walk

Or I know Elaine would make excellent company, in sunny California :

A flower power walk

I don’t know about where you are, but me and Shazza have seen a lot of this lately :

The Tolkein Trail on a Rainy Day

And I know Eunice has had her share!  Wellies at the ready :

Exploring on the doorstep

Emma combines history and art with the beautiful Welsh coastline (and a bit of sunshine  🙂  ) :

Walking the Gower Coast : Caswell Bay & Brandy Cove

I love it when a plan comes together!  Denzil finds a guardian angel :

GR571 Stage 6: Gouvy to Verleumont

Truly exotic and stunningly beautiful photography- don’t miss Aarti!

A Walking Tour of La Paz

While Pauline finds somewhere that does a little good in the world :

Road Trip Flashback…

And, still in Oz, Carol watches another lovely evening fade :

Down to the Sea

I know there are rather a lot this week, but they’re great reading!  I may have to take my laptop into the garden, if the weather matches up to the forecast.  Hooray!  Make the most of it!

 

171 comments

  2. Pingback: Into the Blue | The Adventures of Justin Beaver

  3. Jo I never knew there was such a thing as window tax. We certainly have a lot of taxes in Canada but thankfully that is not one of them. I absolutely adore the wall art. How creative is that? The frst photo is a magazine cover in the making Jo. No wonder you wanted to go there for a special day. Now i want to go as well.

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    1. I’m looking forward to a reunion there in the Summer, Sue, as our next door neighbours in the Algarve are relocating for a couple of months (babysitting duties 🙂 ) The Town Windows are great and I shall look out for more. Thanks, Sue!

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  9. Pingback: Time in Tenterfield : Road trip day 3 – Living in Paradise…

    1. We weren’t sure if he was free or going with his lady to see her Mum but it worked out nicely. Can you believe I’m sitting here in sunshine Pauline? It’s just arrived! Thanks hon. I’ll join you soon xx

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  12. Sounds like a perfectly wonderful Mother’s Day, Jo. And what a lovely surprise to have your son included last minute. 🙂 Love the story of the town windows and the statuary. Fascinating to me! (The scone looked really tasty, too!)

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    1. He wasn’t sure of his plans that day, Debbie (if he and his partner were spending time with her Mum 🙂 ) so we headed in that rough direction so we wouldn’t be too far away if the call came. 🙂 🙂 It all worked out really well, and I’d forgotten how very nice Knaresborough is.

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  14. What an interesting entry! All the photos look really gorgeous ,so full of atmosphere and precious sculptures
    Adore those trompe-l’œil details, beautiful, really!

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  17. Jo, this felt like going home as we often went to Knaresborough when I was little and yes, particularly to Mother Shipton’s Cave. Your first photo from the top over looking the viaduct is simply breathtaking! I loved learning a bit more about the town, castle and the window art is terrific. I’m glad you got to have a scone before dashing off to Leeds -sounds like a very special Mother’s Day! Xx

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    1. It was an excellent one, Annika, and I hadn’t started with high hopes, so all the better. 🙂 🙂 It’s such a nice little place and I wondered how come I hadn’t been more recently. We have friends from Portugal who will be spending the Summer there so I’ll be back for part 2. 🙂

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  18. Pingback: Idyllic maltese mornings | Le Drake Noir

  19. Fabulous photos Joanne. Love the windows, never seen anything like that. You certainly had a lovely Mother’s day.
    Why is it every country has a different day to celebrate Mother’s day and Father’s day? Here in Australia, it’s in May and September.

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    2. Jo,
      I used to have problems with Kathrin’s captcha, too. My solution now: I refresh it – at least once – and then it shows up properly. I also use MS IE as my browser for Kathrin’s blog. If I remember correctly, Mozilla’s Firefox never worked. Maybe these remarks will help you. Btw, after I have written my comment, filled in the captcha [always hoping thtat this “maths whizz kid” here gets his simple sums right 😀 ], and hit “send”, it takes quite a while for the page to refresh and show my comment.
      Have a great day,
      Pit

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