Knaresborough is a town situated on the river Nidd in Yorkshire. This is the viaduct carrying the railway line across the river to the station.
As you walk along the river you will come upon the famous Dropping well, or petrifying well as it is now called. The path leads to the top of the well, where the water springs from an underground lake.
We are looking down to see the water as it runs from the spring and over the edge of the cliff to the well below.
Comming down the steps we can see the water dripping into the well below. The water contains a high content of calcium carbonate, or calcite, and objects exposed to this are 'turned to stone'.
These things are hung up above the well, were the water drips over them, coating them with calcite till they become calcified.
The most popular thing to be hung there are teddy bears!
From the other side you can see where the water drips into the well. To the side of the well is a cave, where 500 years ago, during the reigns of Henry V111 and Elizabeth 1, Ursula Southeil was said to have been born. She later became known as Mother Shipton, although she had no children, after marrying a carpenter named Tony Shipton, at the age of 24. She was very ugly, and people were afraid of her, thinking her a witch!
This is Mother Shipton in her cave, carved from the rock. She was famous for her prophecies, which were written in rhyme. She fortold of the Spanish Armada, and of the great fire of London. She also told of the advent of modern technology:
'Around the world thoughts shall fly
In the twinkling of an eye.
'The well and the cave are popular tourist attractions, and are Englands oldest visitor attractoins, since being opened in 1630.
Finally the water from the well runs into the beautiful river Nidd.
A very magical place.
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