Some of the Harrogate district’s most famous scenes and landmarks have been captured by members of Knaresborough Camera Club.

The club, which meets weekly and welcomes new members, sent us a selection of photos to showcase to a wider audience.

They capture everything from an aerial view of Oakdale Golf Club in Harrogate to Ripon Canal to sculptures at the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park at Grewelthorpe.

We love showing great photos of the Harrogate district. If you would like us to consider yours for publication, please email details to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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Oakdale golf course in Harrogate by Mike Morley.

Ripon Canal by Mervin Straughan

Ripley Castle deer by Mervin Straughan

Himalayan Gardens, Grewelthorpe, by Mervin Straughan

Newby Hall, by Mervin Straughan

Fifty-six years ago, BBC reporter Julian Pettifer came to Knaresborough to cover the legend of Mother Shipton, while looking at the dropping well and caves.

A teddy bear, pair of baby booties and a top hat are seen dangling under the roof of the well, which is also known as a petrifying well, being slowly turned to stone by the water.

Standing at the top of a ladder leaning against the dripping roof, Mr Pettifer strings up a glove alongside the other items.

He says:

“The water of this spring contains so much calcium that, well, looks what happens to Teddy. He’s been in here for three years and he’s far from cuddly.”

He adds:

“This has been a tourist attraction in Knaresborough since 1630, and now the tourist trade has developed so much that in the summer 5,000 people come here every week to have a look at it.”

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Mr Pettifer goes on to make a wish at the wishing well, retell the legend of Mother Shipton and her prophecies, and interview the great-granddaughter of the man who turned the site into a tourist attraction.

The video was first broadcast on February 22 1965, as part of Tonight, which covered the arts, sciences, topical matters and current affairs. The clip is is now part of a BBC film archive.

Mother Shipton’s cave in Knaresborough is reopening tomorrow. Visitors will be allowed to explore the park for a maximum of two and a half hours to maintain limited contact.

There is a pre-booking system in place to allow visitors to book an arrival time slot in advance of their visit. The attraction is also limiting the number of passengers to seven people per car and each car will be charged at £20.

Vans, minibuses, and motorhomes will not be allowed and neither will pedestrians who arrive without a car. This is in an attempt to control the number of vehicles and people within the attraction.

Mother Shipton’s Cave reopens with several measures in place to make sure visitors are kept safe.

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Most of the favoured elements will be accessible to visitors including the petrifying well and of course, Mother Shipton’s Cave.

But the museum and gift shop will remain closed until the reopening of non-essential shops on the June 15. The adventure playground will also stay closed until government advice on playgrounds changes.

The owners of Mother Shipton’s Cave have been given the green light for its works after some residents complained to the council.

Some residents and one of the town councillors Hannah Gostlow told the Stray Ferret that they were concerned by the presence of diggers on the 390-year-old tourist attraction.

Fiona Martin, the managing director at Mother Shipton’s Cave, told the Stray Ferret that the work was to address problems caused by flooding and said it did not require planning permission.

They arranged for the work to be completed during the coronavirus lockdown which has forced them to close to visitors.

She said: “As the Park has been closed to the public due to the emergency, the opportunity has been taken to remedy the damage and stabalise the land. That process revealed the need to repair and clean out the land drainage system. None of this work, I am advised, constitutes development requiring planning permission and the outcome has been to restore the areas involved to their previously existing state.”

Harrogate Borough Council officers visited the site to investigate the alleged planning breaches and deemed that the works were permissible.

A spokesman said: “We have carried out an investigation into alleged planning breaches at Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough. We found the works being carried out are repairs and maintenance required as a consequence of bad weather and flooding earlier this year. These repair works do not require planning permission and are not a breach.”

However, the council found that – separate to the flooding repair works – they had changed the use of a small parcel of land and advised them to make a retrospective application.