Beautiful Yorkshire… Fountain Pond, Hackfall. Hackfall is a beautiful woodland, set in a 350ft gorge on the edge of Grewelthorpe. The woodland is full of enchanting paths, atmospheric follies, waterfalls and other features. The wood was bought by the Aislabie family, in 1731, John Aislabie being famous for his landscaping work at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. His son, William Aislabie set about transforming it into a “beautiful wilderness” in 1749, continuing until 1767. It became a really popular destination and 19thc writers hailed it as one of the most beautiful woodlands in the country, also attracting the landscape artist Turner. Much of the wood was felled in the 1930s, and then for over half a century, it was left to its own devices. The Woodland Trust took over the site in the Eighties, and have since been restoring many of its features. The Fountain Pond is set next to a folly called ‘The Rustic Temple’ and is overlooked by ‘The Ruin,’ another folly, which is owned, and let out by, the Landmark Trust. The Fountain was created in 1756, but had stopped working by the early 1800s, and by 2007, the pond was completely silted up. The Fountain has been restored in the last few years, and is fed by a water tank that is replenished by a spring, allowing the Fountain to come on approximately every fifteen minutes (no real hardship to wait in such a beautiful setting!) During restoration work, sections of a hollowed out elm log were discovered, which had been used in the original Fountain works. They were still in extremely good condition. If you’re in the area, Hackfall is well worth a visit at any time of year. It’s one of our favourite places. Thanks for reading :) Anne Justbod Team
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 05:30:00 +0000
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