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Wednesday 31 August 2011

Living by the river, Knaresborough style


Walking into Knaresborough through the Mother Shipton Estate you glimpse some lovely houses along the riverside.  These apartments have been converted from an old mill building, Castle Mill, that nestles at the foot of the castle rock. Originally a papermill, it was replaced in 1791 by a cotton mill that was converted in 1811 to spinning flax to make fine linen.  It had the honour of supplying linen 'by royal appointment' to Queen Victoria's household and in 1851 was awarded the Prince Albert Medal for producing a handwoven seamless shirt. (See the things you learn by reading this blog!)

But industrial development was rather hampered by Knaresborough's relative isolation, being a difficult place to connect by canal or rail to the major centres of population like Leeds.  In many ways that has been our gain, as it is nowadays a truly delightful and picturesque town, retaining much of its ancient charm.  In fact, I don't know why I haven't visited much more often. It's only about 20 miles from Saltaire.  I had a lovely day-out there.

18 comments:

  1. The place is so romantic. Thanks for the interesting informations. Have a great day.

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  2. All too often, the most wonderful places are only hop, skip and jump from where we live. Nice photograph.

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  3. The garden is gorgeous Jenny and you have captured the pretty reflections beautifully!

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  4. This is a beautiful shot. Lovely colours and reflections. Beautifully framed.

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  5. What a wonderful place to live!Sometimes, it's a good thing to be away from progress, places are protected and keep their charm.

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  6. The strong backlighting has brought out the detail in the garden beautifully. A nicely balanced shot.

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  7. ahhhh what you can do with a wide lens. A beautiful place to live! Love the little white boat and the beautiful gardens.

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  8. Lovely photograph, Jenny, and a beautiful spot. The garden looks like the perfect spot for friends to kill a few hours sipping a glass of wine. And I love that the mill has been saved by conversion to apartments. Jim

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  9. Beautiful setting! The garden looks so well taken care of.

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  10. What a house!!!!

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  11. What a beautiful place, I think I should contact "escape to the country" and buy an apartment from the converted mill ! And even Victoria's Albert was involved with seamless shirts !

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  12. Love your photos of the last few days. Yes the skies are good, you don't really need PS. I too have fallen for wide
    - angle lenses. Keep on saving up! Finally got a moment to scan your blogs! Home next week....

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  13. That is some estate. I love the reflections.

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  14. I do so like the [often unexpected] things I learn on blogs! One of the joys, for sure. Lovely spot.

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  15. PS. I agree most painted portraits bear little resemblance to the person. Not only are the facial features not accurate, but the expression is often doll-like. That's why I felt the man I portrayed on my blog was so skilled.

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  16. Now, I could happily call that home :)

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  17. This would be such a serene spot to live right by the water. ~Lili

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