Poetic beauty of wonderful waterfall with a past

By The Newsroom
Published 29th Jan 2017, 12:49 BST
Updated 29th Jan 2017, 13:56 BST
PIC: Tony JohnsonPIC: Tony Johnson
PIC: Tony Johnson
From the Hidden Valley to the Happy Valley and back again, the area surrounding this beautiful West Yorkshire waterfall is immersed in fascinating history.

The renowned beauty spot on Harden Beck in Goit Stock Woods close to the West Yorkshire village of Harden near Bingley was part of private land owned by the Ferrand family, with access restricted to the general public in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The beauty of the waterfall - or cataract as he called it - inspired Airedale poet John Nicholson to write in appreciation about its peaceful surroundings after moving to the area in 1820.

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He said: “Here may the contemplative mind/Trace Nature and her beauties o’er/And meditation rest reclin’d/Lull’d by the neighbouring cataract’s roar.