Views from the River Swale

Richmond Castle viewed from the River Swale. The Swale in the image below flows from left to right. The Castle from this side was virtually impenetrable
Click here for an animated view
A few hundred metres upstream is a stone bridge leading to the Green (Richmond's former industrial area). Construction of the bridge started in 1788 and was completed a year later. Two contractors were used one employed by Richmond Corporation, the other by the County. Surprising therefore that it is still standing.
Downstream is a further stone bridge originally known as Railway bridge. Richmond's former station was located at the far end.
The bridge was renamed Mercury Bridge when it was refurbished by military engineers from Catterick. The River Swale looks quite placid at this point and along the river bank in front of Mercury Bridge is a picturesque area known as the Bats. (The image below was taken from Mercury Bridge looking upstream). The Bats are on the right.
The Swale however is known to rise very rapidly during periods of heavy rain and will sometimes surge through the left arch of Mercury Bridge.

Richmond Lower School, the orginal Grammar school is located near the bats. The following view was taken from Mercury Bridge:
The School was once attended by Lewis Carroll
The falls are located upstream and are visible from Mercury Bridge. The scale is somewhat less than Niagara but nonetheless the falls are worth a look, particularly when the river is in full spate.

The image to the left was taken in Autumn. A period of reasonably heavy rainfall has caused the volume of water in the Swale to increase giving a good flow over the falls. The brown tint is from moorland peat
found in the upper Swale valley.
The falls mark the edge of a limestone escarpment.

The Richmondshire Gas Works was located on the near bank at this point. Surprisingly the RGW was one of the first public gas suppliers in Europe. At least that is what the following plaque denotes. The redevelopment finished in 1972 has created a pleasant leisure area.
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