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Aysgarth Falls The falls, made up by a series of three cascades extending for some half mile on the River Ure in Wensleydale. The foaming waters rush headlong over great ledges between limestone walls hung with trees and bushes, the first falls is known as the upper falls and can be best viewed from a 16th Century bridge carrying the road over the river.Castle Howard
Seen against the backdrop
of the Howardian Hills, the splendour of Castle Howard is all the more
astonishing. The largest house in Yorkshire, designed by Sir John Vanbrugh
this was his first house (his second was Blenheim Palace). The clerk of
works was Nicholas Hawksmore, a partnership of brilliance. It was started
in 1700 but by the time of completion in 1737, the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, who
commissioned it, Vanbrugh and Hawksmore were all dead. The total cost of
building was a then staggering £78,000. The house is set in over 1,000
acres of parkland, has two lakes and is home to a vast treasure of pictures and
antiques. Fountain Abbey (Declared a world heritage site)
The
majestic ruins of possibly the Greatest Abbey in England, stand in this scenic
valley of the River Skell. Just a few miles South West of Ripon.
Even today so much of the building is still visible. From very humble
beginnings, a rise to power then total Dissolution under Henry VIII. It
was from St Mary`s Abbey York, that the prior and some followers left to
establish a new Cistercian order here at Fountains in 1132. They started
to build and over the years the community grew in property, prosperity &
recruits. Unfortunately this power and wealth replaced the original Cistercian
ideals and was a great prize for Henry VIII during the Dissolution. He
sold it to Sir Richard Gresham in 1540. One can clearly see from the ruins
the picture of what life in a Monastic institution was like during the middle
ages. The tower stands a remarkable 168ft in height with the church
extending some 360ft. In 1738 William Aisdale who owned the adjoining
Studley Royal Estate purchased Fountains and continued to mould the two
together. Landscaping and gardening as he went along. Today the
Cistercian Abbey ruins are the largest in Britain blending in naturally with a
landscape of ornamental lakes, cascades, bridges, river walks and eye catching
vistas. A 500 head deer colony live in the deer park and at night the
whole area of the ruins are floodlit. Harrogate Harrogate evolved as one of the most fashionable Spa's in Europe following the discovery, in 1571, of the first medicinal spring by William Slingsby. In the early days people bathed or drank waters bought to their lodgings in barrels, the first public baths was erected in 1842. The Victorian heritage now blends perfectly with a modern Spa town. It is a very stately place with numerous dignified hotels built of the dark local stone famous in the 19th century. This effect is softened by its location, spacious parks, great abundance of trees and lavish flower beds, especially in Harlow Car Gardens. Harewood House
This magnificent
18th Century mansion planned by Robert
Carr and
decorated by
Robert
Adam
is situated in landscaped grounds completed by
Capability
Brown
in 1772 and set in rolling countryside. Jorvik Museum
This museum is like no
other museum, the actual building is on the site of an archaeological dig, the
journey you take is around the actual remains below street level, exactly where
the old city of York was built Rievaulx Abbey
The spectacular remains of
the first Cistercian Abbey in Northern England. situated in the unrivalled peace
and serenity of a beautiful wooded valley on the banks of the River Rye.
sheltered from the moors rising above. Walter L`Espec granted this site in
the wilderness to a group of Cistercians in 1131. From these small
beginnings began a crusade which ended with the building of this Abbey.
Its grandeur outlined in the remains of the buildings. Completed before
the end of the 12th Century records indicate that under the Third Abbot (Aelred
1147-1167) the community consisted of 140 monks and over 500 lay brothers.
By the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 this large community had dwindled
down to just 22 monks. The buildings are now looked after by English
Heritage. The Church Nave dates back to at least 1135 and the Choir is a
particularly fine example of 13th Century work. Ripon
A
small market town dating back to early Saxon times. We have the Crypt in
the Minster from circa 672 and a belief that the town name is based on a tribe
of people known as the Hreope who inhabited the area in pre Saxon times.
In local documents the town was recorded as Hrypis in 715 and as Rypum in the
year 1030. We can therefore safely establish that a settlement has been
here dating back over 1500 years. The town is dominated by the Cathedral
but the heart of the town is the rectangular market place with its dominating
90ft obelisk raised in 1781. One of the oldest houses in the town is
situated near one corner of the square. The house was built in the 13th
Century and the Wakeman or Night Watchman lived there. Scarborough Described by locals as big and breezy, this North sea resort town with its two splendid bays is a fine combination of a ruined castle, nice hotels, boarding houses, sands, terraced gardens, wave swept promenades and plenty of walks. According to legend it was founded by a Norseman, we do know that it was burned to the ground by another one Harold Harrada in 1066. A stylish Spa in the 17th & 18th Centuries which during the last 20 years has lost much of its appeal to travelling holiday makers. The castle circa 1160 stands on a headland that was once the site of a British Camp and later a Roman Signal Station. The splendid Marine Drive and Promenade were completed in 1908 and follow the wide curve of the North Bay. The Parish Church of St Mary`s was built in the 12th Century it was severely damaged during the Civil War. It is the final resting place of Anne Bronte who is buried in the churchyard. She came to the town in the hope that the spa waters and bracing sea air would improve her health. Unfortunately she died in Scarborough at the age of 29. St Giles Church, Skelton The church was originally built as an outpost of York Minster. Legend has it that it was built of stone left over from building the Minster. The church was restored during the 19th Century and the atmosphere of the interior is more 19th Century despite its architectural authenticity being of the early gothic design. It does have a small original 13th century Bellcote Stourhead One of the best examples of English 18th Century landscape gardens. Sheets of water, mature trees, several temples, a classical bridge, grotto, and rustic buildings. The gardens offer a visual experience unequalled in Britain. A taste of the classical ideas which gripped the 18th Century aristocrats. Wensleydale Cheese The story of cheese making in the Yorkshire dales dates back to possible Roman times. However it was Cistercian Monks from Jervaulx arriving here in the 12th Century who bought with them a knowledge of cheese making which they used to produce a soft, blue veined cheese made from Wensleydale Ewes milk. By the 17th Century most farmhouses had their own recipes which were passed down from generation to generation. The first commercial creamery in Hawes was set up in 1897. Then followed a history of high points and a very low point reached in 1992 when the creamery was closed. However within 6 months some ex managers a local businessman together with skilled help from former workers re-opened for business. Today going from strength to strength the creamery once again is proud to produce the real Wensleydale cheese.
Whitby
Famed as one of the earliest and most important centres of Christianity in
England. In 657 St Hilda founded the Abbey for King Oswy of Northumbria in
thanks for his victory over the heathen Penda of Mercia. It was also the
setting for the Synod of Whitby in 664 who committed the English Church to the
Roman Rite rather than the Celtic one and also fixed the Precis date on which
Easter should be celebrated, the exact formulae which is still in use today.
Both men and women lived in the early Monastery, it is where Caedmon was
inspired to sing of creation. Destroyed by the Danes in 867 it was founded
again by the Benedictines in 1078. Continued to flourish until surrendered in
1539. From then on the buildings have slowly blown away, by 1830 the tower
had collapsed and in 1914 it was shelled by the German fleet. The oldest
part of the town is on the East cliff, with the new town under the West cliff,
dividing the two the River Esk. The old
port of Whitby
developed on the East bank, where ancient houses lean against each other and is
a muddle of cobbled streets and narrow alley ways. James Cook the explorer
lived in this area and of course Whitby became his home port York
The fascinating
townscape of this walled city illustrates much of its nearly 2,000 years
history. York possesses in its Minster the largest medieval church in
Northern Europe, the general scale of its building is small and human.
Even today York seems more medieval than almost any other English town.
The compact core is a treasure house for anyone interested in history,
architecture or ancient crafts, and is best seen on foot. The Romans
called the place Eboracum, and built a fort in AD.71. Under the Angles,
York was capital of their Kingdom of Deira. King Edwin was baptised here
by Paulinus, who became the first Archbishop of York in 634. The Danes
captured and burnt York in 867 and it was their capital in England for nearly
100 years, they called it Jorvik and it is from this that the present name
derives. There is nothing left to see of Anglo Saxon and Danish York, but
the use of the word gate for street is a reminder that the Danes did settle
here. The Norman's found a thriving little trading centre and burnt it in
1069 during their frightful ravaging of the North, and then rebuilt the walls,
expanding them to take the present 263 acres. Medieval York is everywhere,
not least in the web of narrow streets. The Shambles and Stonegate are two
of the best preserved examples. Too the East of the Minster is the half
timbered St William's College. Three of the nine Guildhalls still survive.
All the city walls are medieval rebuilt on the Roman and Norman foundations in
the 13th Century. A 2.5 mile footpath on the walls gives a circular tour
of the city. In the middle ages, York was England's second city a great
religious and commercial centre. A lovely city with much to see and enjoy. |
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