baron, by whom the stately castle was first erected. The place
was afterwards held by Richard Plantagenet, who founded a priory in the
vicinity, Piers Gaveston, and John of Gaunt, and the castle was for some
time the place of confinement of Henry II. During the Civil War it was
held for the King; but after the battle of Marston Moor it was taken by
Fairfax, and dismantled by order of Parliament in 1648.

The castle, one of the finest of its kind, is situated in a remarkable
position on a lofty rock, and was once practically inaccessible. It was
formerly flanked by eleven towers, of which only one remains. The other
ruins consist of a small portion of the keep and some very beautiful and
elaborate vaulted apartments, in which the murderers of Thomas a Becket
took refuge. On the cliffs opposite the castle is the famous
Knaresborough "Dripping Well," whose waters have the property of
"turning into stone" any articles left for a time under the dripping
waters of the well. The water being highly charged with limestone in a
state of impervious powder, rapidly encrusts the object until it appears
to be made of solid rock, and various specimens of this result may be
obtained.

About half a mile below the castle are the remains of the priory for
brothers of the Holy Trinity, founded by Richard Plantagenet; and
further south, hewn out of the solid rock, at a considerable height
above the river Nidd, is St. Robert's Chapel, with a fine groined roof.
It has an altar on the east side and contains carvings of the Trinity
and the Virgin Mary.

Knaresborough was at one time a place of fashionable resort on account
of the efficacy of its mineral waters, but they have long since been
abandoned for those of Harrogate.

[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._

THE DRIPPING WELL AT KNARESBOROUGH.

The water contains limestone, and coats over whatever substance it falls
upon.]

FOUNTAINS ABBEY

=How to get there.=--Train from King's Cross _via_ Leeds. Great
Northern Railway.
=Nearest Station.=--Ripon (2 miles from the Abbey).
=Distance from London.=--214 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 5 to 8 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 29s. 9d. ... 17s. 5d.
Return 59s. 6d. ... 34s. 10d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--At Ripon--"Black Bull Hotel,"
"Black Swan Hotel," "Bradford Hotel," etc.

Fountains Abbey, about 2 miles south-west from Ripon in Yorkshire,
stands in a