Mother Shiptons Cave
MOTHER SHIPTON WAS SAID TO be a witch and an oracle, predicting doomsday horrors and disasters that were to befall the Tudor reign, with each morbid forecast recited in prose. Allegedly born as Ursula Southhell in a cave in the forests of Knaresborough, she was associated with all kinds of tragic events and dark doings in the area, including the bewitchment of a nearby well that turned objects into stone. One of the mystical secrets of Mother Shipton has been solved by modern science. The well nearby her dwelling that petrified objects left in its waters has been something of a visitor’s attraction since 1630, making it one of the oldest tourist spots in England. Once thought to be the work of witchcraft, it’s now known that the water that can turn thing like teddy bears, hats and other random items into “stone” within 3 to 5 months is due to the natural process of evaporation and an unusually high mineral content.
Size: 4608px × 3456px
Location: Knaresborough Yorkshire UK
Photo credit: © Gillian Singleton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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