For nearly as long as I have lived in England, I’ve been semi-jokingly telling Sam that I have to visit Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough one day. Mother Shipton’s cave is the oldest tourist attraction in England and something that many, many schoolchildren in the North were dragged to against their wills. In fact, Sam himself had visited it multiple times when he was young. Though he claims to have no recollection of it.
So what is Mother Shipton’s cave?
Ursula Southill (Mother Shipton) was a hedge witch, soothsayer and prophetess who lived in Knaresborough in the late 1400s. She was born out of wed-lock to a very young mother, who had her in a cave outside of the city, where they both lived for the first few years of Ursula’s life, before a local clergyman took pity on young Ursula and found her a slightly more well-off home. (No one knows what happened to Ursula’s birth mother, Agatha, after this.)
As Ursula grew older she found herself adapt at herbal remedies and the local people would come to her for her cures and the occasional bit of fortune-telling. She married a carpenter from York, Toby Shipton. They didn’t have any children together and when he passed away, her reputation as a prophetess soared.
Samuel Pepys even came to visit her to learn of the future of England. Ursula predicted the Great Fire of London, World War II, airplanes, radio and cars, as well as the Dissolution of the Monasteries. She lived into her 90s and she seemed like a pretty awesome historical woman, as well as an archetypal crone.
At Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough, you can see the cave that she was born in, a wishing well, acres of beautiful woods (with some great picnic tables and playgrounds) as well as the famous Petrifying Well. The Well was one of my favourite things about the day.
Even before Mother Shipton, local people believed the well to be magical. The water has a super high mineral content and can petrify most objects in 3-5 months. A teddy bear can turn hard as stone in that time. I can definitely see why people once thought it was magic. There is a small museum on site and you can see objects that famous people throughout history have petrified; like John Wayne’s hat, and Queen Victoria’s shoes.
I visited whilst the park was still decorated for Halloween, but it’s now in full-scale Christmas mode. Tickets cost £7, but you’re allowed to wander in and out all day long. It’s also a dog-friendly attraction. It’s a little bit cheesy, but loads of fun and I’m very glad that I finally managed a visit.
The town of Knaresborough itself is absolutely stunning. It’s most famous for its gorgeous viaduct over the River Nidd; but all the waterfront cafes and restaurants are almost too twee for words. I loved it. Plus, there is an amazing amount of things to see, including the House in the Rock and Knaresborough Castle and grounds.
Knaresborough has a great Christmas market, so hopefully I’ll be back for that soon, but I definitely want to have a return visit sometime and take one of those beautiful rowboats out on to the River Nidd.
Mother Shipton’s Cave is located at Mother Shipton’s Cave, Prophecy Lodge, High Bridge, Knaresborugh, North Yorkshire, HG5 8DD
Have you visited Knaresborough before? What about Mother Shipton’s cave?
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
Falling Foss Waterfall
Staithes, North Yorkshire
Gisborough Hall Hotel
Hagg Wood
North Star Club
Rudding Park Hotel & Spa
Malton
Ouse & Benningborough Hall
Dalby Forest
Pin it for later:
