Nidd Gorge

Nidd Gorge. . You can see from here how the castle is positioned above the Nidd Gorge and what was the Ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough which covered a vast area. The Forest was used by the king for hunting and recreation., The railway viaduct in front of you was built to carry the Leeds and Thirsk Railway (Leeds Northern Railway). It was completed in 1851, three years after the first viaduct collapsed. Round to your left is the war memorial. From there you can look down to the weir and the former linen mill by the river., You are looking at the River Nidd as it flows through Nidd Gorge which was carved in the last Ice Age. The Nidd's source is on the slopes of Great Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales. The castle is positioned above the gorge and a guard on watch would have had a good view of the surrounding land., From here you can see the tower of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, a fine building founded by Henry I in 1114. In 1343 the wife of Edward III, Queen Phillippa took great interest in the restoration work, hence it became known as "the Queen's Church"., There are Slingsby family tombs in the Parish Church, the Slingsby's were closely connected with the history of the castle. Sir Henry Slingsby, a royalist during the Civil War, was beheaded on 8th June 1658 on Tower Hill in London and his headless body lies in a tomb in the Parish Church.