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Sunderland Bridge and Croxdale

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These are two villages a couple of miles south of Durham city. Towns and villages in country Durham fall into two categories - older established, that are quaint and picturesque; and colliery towns that... are not. Sunderland Bridge is the form, Croxdale the latter. Sunderland Bridge is just off the A167, which was the Great North Road and A1 at one time. The building on the right of the photo is the church hall, and the retaining wall on the left has the church graveyard behind it. The church itself is rather attractive. St Bartholomew's was built in 1843-46. The church is the only communal building - there is no pub or shops. At the far end of the one street, the road turns abruptly right, and on the corner is a large, imposing house. You can just see a turret on the left. I assume the turret is a folly. Back to the A167, and we cross the East Coast Main Line... ... And get to Croxdale. Behind the terrace housing, the community centre, the only highlight, is hidden away. There wa...
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Knaresborough

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Knaresborough is a market town on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, three miles east of Harrogate. It has a castle, but somehow we missed that - though we only had two hours, and that included lunch! Probably the most famous feature is the railway viaduct, which is 80' high. The market square is even higher above the river. We will start at the bottom and work our way up. This is the River Nidd. looking downstream, towards its confluence with the River Ouse at Nun Monkton. In the centre of the photo, in the distance, you can see rock side of the gorge the river has cut. The castle is over that way somewhere. Looking the other way, from about the same position, the viaduct! The original viaduct was built in 1848, and collapsed before it was completed. The replacement was completed in 1851, and apparentky was built rather better, Heading under the right arch, the path passes the Old Manor House, the oldest building in the town, decorated in a curious chequered pattern. It is a thirt...
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Cardiff

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Obviously Cardiff is the capital of Wales, but it only achieved that status in 1955, and indeed only became a city in 1905. As this mile post makes clear, it was just a town in 1835. Indeed, in 1800 it was a rather small town, with a population on only about 2000, but over the course of the nineteenth century it became huge! The growth was due to the work of John Crichton-Stuart, Second Marquess of Bute; a Scotsman who owned a big chunk of South Wales, and saw an opportunity to make a lot of money by developing docks in Cardiff to serve the growing coal and steel industries in the valleys to the north. Todays the docks are a shadow of their former glory. though much of the area has now been redeveloped. This image is a good starting point, showing Cardiff bay. At one time this would have been the scene of intense industry, but today a barrage has been built across the entrance to the bay (centre of the photo), and no ships can enter. It is no longer tidal. To the left, you can see ...
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