On
the banks of the river Nidd, near the town of Knaresborough in North
Yorkshire, is one of the oldest ‘entrance charging’ tourist attraction
in England. It’s a petrifying well that was once thought to have been
cursed by the devil, for whatever object the dripping waters touched,
had been turned to stone. The leaves of creepers, sticks, even dead
birds. People also noticed the side of the well looked like a giant’s
skull. Most people avoided it because they believed that they too would
be turned to stone if they touched it. The courageous ones started
leaving everyday objects near the waterfall to watch them slowly turn to
stone over just a few weeks. You can spot a Victorian top hat and a
lady’s bonnet left at the waterfall in 1853, and other trinkets like
teddy bears from more recent times.
The earliest written reference to the well was by John Leyland,
antiquary to Henry VIII, who visited the well in 1538. He wrote that the
well was very well-known and visitors drank and showered under its
falling waters, as they were believed to have miraculous healing powers.
Around this time, the legendary soothsayer and prophetess Ursula
Southeil, who is better known as Mother Shipton, began to gain
popularity.
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