Knaresborough, England

This majestic view is the main subject of our visit to Knaresborough, England. It almost looks like part of a medieval fortified castle, but it's a railroad bridge — the famous Knaresborough viaduct, with trains crossing it ever since it first opened in 1851. And the train is still a good way to reach this small town in North Yorkshire.

The view of the railroad viaduct and Knaresborough is one of the great vistas in all the British Isles. Only in Knaresborough do you get this spectacular view of a viaduct over the river. With the reflections you can take boat rides as well, and there are cafes down by the river. Lovely spot.

You can also see this video on a separate video page.

We'll get back to Knaresborough's viaduct in just a moment, but first let's have a quick look around the town itself, which is a lovely place. You'll see historic old brick buildings in that traditional style of English country towns, especially at the Market Place, the bustling heart of Knaresborough, including traditional pubs and modern shops on the high street. We'll show you more of the small town later.

Knaresborough is up on a hill, and from the center you can easily walk down to the riverfront where you have another view of the viaduct. The whole town occupies the top of a limestone cliff above a bend in the River Nidd, and the gorge below is deep enough that the streets and the river feel like two separate places, connected by a handful of steep lanes.

You can have a meal on the outdoor restaurant terrace while having a view of the boating activities. The town is pleasant, but the reason most visitors come here is for this view, which the locals are quite proud of.

The Viaduct

The viaduct is only for trains. Knaresborough is on the main Harrogate line between Leeds and York and has regular train service throughout the day, one train every 30 minutes, a total of about 64 trains a day passing through. That frequency is unusual for a town this size and it is the reason the bridge is never empty for long — wait ten or fifteen minutes at the viewpoint and something will cross it.

The viaduct collapsed just as they completed it, early in its construction in 1848, but they soon rebuilt it by 1851, and trains have been running on it ever since. The collapse came at the worst possible moment, with the structure essentially finished, and it sent the whole span into the river. What went up in its place was built more conservatively, and it has now stood for more than 170 years under traffic its designers never imagined.

Viaducts are ancient technology, originated by the Romans 2,000 years ago, such as in the south of France at the Pont du Gard, and many similar viaducts have been built throughout the world. But this one is really quite special, surrounded by lush hillsides and a quaint town. Most great viaducts cross empty valleys. This one lands in the middle of a place people live, which is why it photographs the way it does.

Later we will bring you down to the riverside for a view of the majestic viaduct from that perspective. And there's a lovely restaurant on the outdoor terrace enjoying that view, with a snack, a drink or a complete meal, while you're watching some of the boating activity. Then you could rent your own boat. The view from the river is just as great as seeing it from above.

The viaduct is about 330 feet long, with a height of 78 feet above the river, and it's built with four large semicircular arches, each one spanning 56 feet. The bridge is an important component of the main train line connecting Leeds and York, a critical link in the regional rail network facilitating trade, travel and tourism.

Several walking paths around the viaduct offer alternative perspectives on this architectural marvel. It's primarily constructed from locally quarried sandstone, which gives it a warm honey colored appearance that blends beautifully with the surrounding landscape. The castellated parapet and the mock arrow slits were not structural — they were added to make a piece of industrial engineering acceptable to a town that did not want a railway spoiling its gorge. It's a testament to the ingenuity of 19th century bridge construction and engineering aesthetics.

The Age of the Railway

It is worth pausing on what this bridge represents. When the line opened, Britain was in the middle of the greatest transport transformation in its history. In 1830 the country had almost no public railways at all. By 1850 it had more than six thousand miles of them, built in barely two decades by armies of laborers with picks, barrows and black powder. The Knaresborough viaduct belongs to the very peak of that boom, and the fact that it fell down once is a fair measure of how fast and how experimentally these things were being attempted.

The railways changed ordinary life more thoroughly than almost any invention before them. Before the trains, a market town like Knaresborough ate what it grew, and news arrived at the speed of a horse. Within a generation, fresh milk and fish were reaching inland towns, newspapers were printed in London and read in Yorkshire the same day, and working people took their first holidays. Britain even had to invent a single national time, because until the railways every town kept its own clock by the sun, and a timetable is impossible when noon in York is not noon in Bristol.

For Knaresborough specifically, the line did something particular. It arrived just as the town's older industries — linen weaving, the mills along the Nidd — were losing ground, and it replaced them with visitors. The Victorians were enthusiastic day trippers, and a dramatic gorge one short ride from Leeds was exactly the sort of thing they came to see. The tourism that supports the cafes and boat hire today began with the railway, not despite it.

What is more surprising is that the line is still here. Britain closed roughly a third of its railway network in the 1960s, and hundreds of towns lost their stations permanently. The Harrogate line survived, and today it carries more passengers than it did before those cuts. The half-hourly service that makes Knaresborough easy to visit is not a leftover from the Victorian age — it is a modern service running over Victorian ironwork and stone.

And railways have become important again for reasons the Victorians would not have anticipated. A train carries a passenger with a fraction of the emissions of a car or a short flight, which has made rail central to how European countries plan to move people over the next fifty years. Lines that once looked obsolete are being reopened, electrified and extended. A structure built in 1851 by men who had never seen an automobile is now part of the answer to a problem automobiles created.

The Castle

The town center is right next to the ruins of an old castle. The large rectangular tower was built for defense, and as a residence for the lord or king. This central stronghold is also called a keep and is the most prominent surviving structure.

The castle was destroyed during the English Civil War of the mid 17th century, when it was a Royalist stronghold captured by the parliamentarian forces, who ordered it to be ripped down, leaving it in ruins. Parliament ordered the destruction of numerous castles across England to prevent their use in future rebellions or wars.

Many of the stones removed from the castle were then reused to build structures in town. That is why the ruin looks quarried rather than shattered — the walls did not fall so much as get carried away, a few cartloads at a time, into the houses and walls you walk past on the streets above.

The castle grounds now are a popular public park offering that famous view as well as a stroll in the garden. A few signs provide descriptions, and you can pass through the monumental gates to get back into the town from Castle Yard.

There's now a small history museum on the grounds at this fortress that was first built around the year 1100 by the Norman conquerors. The museum occupies the old courthouse, and the courtroom inside was still in use within living memory.

Castlegate and Green Dragon Yard

That medieval gate from the castle leads us to a street called Castlegate. But here the word gate means street, which comes from the language of the Vikings, who were definitely here back around a thousand years ago. You'll meet the same ending all over the north of England, and it is one of the clearest traces the Norse left on the map.

The Viking capital at York is just 18 miles away, so Knaresborough was on an important Viking trading route. The River Nidd running through town would have facilitated the movement of goods such as furs, metals and textiles.

Little lanes branch off from Castlegate, including this small courtyard of Green Dragon Yard, one of Knaresborough's hidden gems. Back in the day, horses and carts were stabled here, and earlier it was a resting place for shepherds.

Now we have private homes, a cafe and an art gallery. It is the kind of place you would walk past without noticing, since the entrance is barely wider than a doorway, and then find yourself in a cobbled yard with flowers and outdoor tables.

The gallery occupies an old mill building at the back of the yard, and the whole courtyard is a good illustration of how these towns work — the grand buildings face the street, and everything that actually kept the town running happened behind them.

Market Place

Around the corner, passing more of these historic buildings, we come upon an open plaza with some benches, an old-fashioned market cross, and two statues of local heroes.

One statue is of Mother Shipton, famous for her 15th century prophecies that supposedly predicted the Great Fire of London and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Her legend helps draw visitors to Knaresborough, and her cave on the riverbank has been charging admission since 1630, which makes it one of the oldest paying tourist attractions in England.

The other depicts Blind Jack, a local hero who was blinded in childhood but went on to become the first road builder of the industrial age. His name was John Metcalf, he lost his sight to smallpox at the age of six, and he went on to survey and build some 180 miles of turnpike road across the north of England, judging ground by feel and by sound. He is shown sitting on a bench with his surveying wheel, and you can sit down beside him.

The market place is the heart of the town center, bustling with activity since Knaresborough's inception as a market town over 700 years ago. With shops all around, it serves as a vibrant hub where locals and tourists alike gather to shop, eat, take a stroll and socialize.

At the center stands the Market Cross, a stone monument erected in 1748. It serves as a symbol of the town's longstanding market tradition, and is surrounded by steps that often serve as seating for visitors and locals.

The market was first mentioned in the year 1206. Then in 1310, Knaresborough was granted a royal charter by Edward the Second to officially hold a market. That charter solidified the market place as a focal point for trade and social gatherings, and over time it became a center for local government and community activities.

It claims the oldest pharmacy in England, established in 1720, with the Lavender Tearooms next door. Every Wednesday there is a weekly market showcasing a range of foods and other items, from 7:30 till 3 p.m.

You'll find many shops around the marketplace and nearby streets with a diverse array of merchandise.

There is a famous butcher shop at the market, in business for 89 years — Appleton, where you can get some takeout foods, breakfast rolls, pork and apple pies. Try their Scotch egg, a crispy breadcrumb coating around meat and a soft-boiled egg. They're especially famous for their Yorkshire pork pies. And you can pick up supplies for a picnic with cold cuts, sliced cheese and salads.

The Painted Windows

If you look up, you might notice some windows with paintings on them, something the townspeople are quite proud of. There are lots of painted windows here. It's all because there was a tax on windows established by the King in 1696, based on the number of windows in your building.

Some people bricked up their windows to dodge the tax. Then people started decorating the bricked window with beautiful paintings. The style is called trompe l'oeil — trick the eye into thinking it's three dimensional.

The tax itself lasted more than 150 years before it was finally repealed in 1851, and it left blocked openings on old buildings all over Britain. What Knaresborough has done with them is its own: the paintings you see here are recent work, a continuing town project rather than a Georgian one, and new ones keep appearing.

Some of the scenes are historical, some are domestic, and a few are jokes. Look for children reaching for balloons, a cat on a windowsill, and figures leaning out to watch the street below.

Half the pleasure is spotting them. They are scattered across the town rather than gathered in one place, on side lanes and above shopfronts, and you will only find them all if you keep looking up.

Leaving the market, you'll find more small shops offering useful items for locals, as well as unique gifts and crafts for the visitors.

High Street

One block over, you'll reach the busiest road, High Street, offering another delightful shopping experience with local artisans, specialty stores, delicatessens and gift shops. It's the main artery through town for vehicles and pedestrians.

Along with the train, there's excellent intercity bus service with a stop in the center. Between the two, you can reach Knaresborough easily without a car, which is worth knowing given how little parking there is in the old streets.

You'll see on the aerial view we've just been on High Street and the marketplace. Earlier we were at the viewpoint looking down at the viaduct, and now we're going to take a walk along Kirkgate down to the river for another view of the viaduct, and then we'll be leaving from the train station.

Down Kirkgate to the River

Kirkgate is a quiet residential street with hardly any cars going by, and there are some shops along the way. Some of the homes are arranged around garden courtyards, while other homes have small gardens in the back.

It does get steep — after all, the town is up on a hill, and if you were arriving by train you'd be walking up this hill. But in this case we're walking down, so it's quite easy.

Passing a thatched roof, then coming around the bend for a view looking up at the viaduct.

The riverside is one of Knaresborough's most scenic areas, with calm, slow moving waters perfect for boating, and water so clean people swim in it.

Or, like most visitors, just stand here for a while, take your pictures and enjoy this phenomenal view, and then maybe sit down at the restaurant and have a meal while you're here.

The Marigold Cafe, open from 9:30 till 4:00, is a favorite, offering breakfast sandwiches, burgers, salads, snacks, drinks, or maybe just ice cream and cake while enjoying this lovely view. They also rent boats.

Let's get straight on how to pronounce the name of this town. It's quite simple, but from the spelling it might look to some people that it's called Knares-borough. The locals just say "Nazzbrah." Okay. Now that we have that clarified, we can enjoy our final look of the viaduct as we round the bend.

Getting Here

The train service in Yorkshire is really quite good. It's not expensive, with the train leaving every half hour, whether you're going to Leeds or over to York or perhaps to nearby Harrogate.

Easy to get here if you're staying in Leeds — you can take a direct train, and it takes about 45 minutes. You can also visit the nearby town of Harrogate as well. York is just 30 minutes away by train or driving. Knaresborough is in North Yorkshire, about 200 miles from London.

Now you'll have a view from the top of the viaduct, looking back down at the river. It lasts only a few seconds, so have the camera ready before the train reaches the bridge.

The train wasn't very crowded when I was riding, and there were beautiful views looking out the window at the green, rolling countryside of Yorkshire from these comfortable seats.

On the short train rides they only have one class of service, second class, which is all you need.

And then the fields open out, and the whole visit ends the way it began — from a train, looking at Yorkshire.