The magnetic cache is hidden close to the viaduct arches on Riverside. Please note this is a very popular tourist spot so extreme caution needs to be taken when searching and logging the cache. Please please make sure you put the cache exactly back in its original position as I’d hate for it to end up in the Nidd.
Behold a beautiful example of Human engineering and transport construction, the Knaresborough Viaduct. The information board gives a very brief account of the viaduct’s chequered history but a more complete account is given below. ( Thanks to Yorkshire Live)
The viaduct crossing the River Nidd in Knaresborough is one of the most recognisable landmarks to find in Yorkshire - particularly if you're prone to scrolling through Instagram. But the story behind the famous viaduct - which is a favourite for those taking trips to the North Yorkshire town and canoeing down the river - is not so straight forward.
A construction error led the initial incarnation of the bridge to collapse and crumble into the river, causing decimation to the wildlife and huge costs for the developers. Then, when it was finally erect in one piece it was metaphorically torn apart by critics, with one famous historian at the time describing it as "one of the most notable railway crimes in England".
The plans for the viaduct were part of the Harrogate line connecting Knaresborough with Harrogate. The Leeds and Thirsk Railway company was behind the project and put it together as part of the wider development of a Yorkshire line going westwards from York in the 1840s that was masterminded by East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway company. But just as the viaduct was nearing completion, disaster struck on March 11, 1848.
The structure collapsed fully into the river below and the resultant noise of the falling masonry was said to have lasted for five minutes. While there was no official inquiry, it was said that the collapse of the viaduct was down to a combination of bad workmanship, poor materials and excess water in the River Nidd. The collapse had a number of subsequent effects. A separate railway station had to be built in Knaresborough while the new viaduct was built, and a considerable amount of stone and lime that went into the water that caused a huge number of fish to perish. The contractors, Wilson and Benson, took the two railway companies to court over the collapse and a financial settlement was made, but the two contractors were told to relinquish the right to build the new viaduct.
A new viaduct was started in the same year that the first one fell down and the same source of stone from a quarry at Abbey Crags, part of the Nidd Gorge through Knaresborough some 1 mile (1.5 km) to the south of the viaduct. The stone was quarried from the same Upper Plompton Grit that was used in Knaresborough Castle and other buildings in the town. As well as using the same type of stone as Knaresborough's famous castle, the new viaduct was constructed with castellated walls and piers so that in matched the ruined walls of the castle.
The four-arched viaduct was finally opened in 1851 at a cost of nearly £10,000, but the initial response was not all positive.
The design was criticised in some quarters, with architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner saying the viaduct was "one of the most notable railway crimes in England." He said: "To castellate the bridge does not make it a picturesque object." However, there are many who love the viaduct, which stands proudly in the centre of the town and serves as a perfect picture opportunity for those travelling on the river or viewing the town from the castle. Noted Yorkshire-born writer J B Priestley admired how the river reflected the viaduct and said that it "added a double beauty to the scene". It has since been chosen as one of the best views in Yorkshire and has been made a grade II listed structure.
Despite its chequered past, the Knaresborough viaduct has managed to withstand adversity to become one of the most treasured views in a county full of a beauty.