Designated a National Park in 1952, the North York Moors comprise 355,000 acres of rural land with an Australia-shaped outline in the north-east of England. Middlesbrough lies to the north, Scarborough to the south-east, Thirsk out west and Pickering to the south. Its eastern side skirts around the seaside town and fishing port of Whitby, but otherwise takes in a 26-mile stretch of sandy beaches and fossil-rich cliffs facing the North Sea.

The central plateau rises up from its hilly edges, the cause of some difficulty for transport in past centuries and even today, with road-signs warning of steep climbs and ‘dangerous’ descents. Nevertheless, the area attracts many tourists to its extensive heather moorland, woods and green meadows, with sheep, deer, birds and otters to be spotted near the many lakes, pools and streams. The highest point is Urra Moor at 1,490ft..

The North York Moors Historical Railway Trust has operated a steam railway service from Pickering to Whitby since 1972. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it aims to preserve a cherished piece of history by offering weddings, dining, photography and filming opportunities. Television series such as ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Downton Abbey’, and the ‘Harry Potter’ films have used their stations as authentic backdrops.

(Image: Russel Wills at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Northumbrian Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-83) entered landscape gardening with an enthusiasm and vision that propelled him to the top of his profession. Although he dismissed the formal designs which sought to mould plants into rigid shapes and patterns, he was not averse to moving tons of soil to fulfil his own idea of perfection. On surveying a new project he would exclaim that it had “capabilities”, hence his nickname, portending a remodelling on a grand scale.

Brown’s career began in 1741 at Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, where he became Head Gardener, then Clerk of Works. Going freelance in 1751, he spent the rest of his life designing the grounds of aristocratic estates all over the country ~ 170 of them all told, of which 18 are now maintained by the National Trust, including Stowe itself.

Characteristically, Brown would install a lake with curving, grassy banks and an ornate bridge. He would plant trees with naturally architectural shapes and group them carefully in small clumps or woods. He would build neo-classical temples and follies, and he devised the ‘ha-ha’ wall, hidden from sight of the house, but keeping livestock in the distant parkland. A long, sweeping driveway would be engineered to give approaching visitors an impressive view.

(Top image [cropped]: Gresham College at Flickr.com / Public domain)