Spofforth

Spofforth grew at the time that Knaresborough was the important town in the area, with Harrogate and Wetherby being less so. Spofforth Castle was built in the thirteenth century. Eighteenth-century Knaresborough road builder Blind Jack Metcalf spent the latter years of his life in the village and is buried in the church yard. Stockeld Park, a Palladian villa was built in the 19th century. The railway came to Spofforth in 1847, with the building of the Harrogate to Church Fenton Line; Spofforth was the only intermediate station between Wetherby York Road and Harrogate stations. The line closed to passengers in 1964 and to goods in 1966, as part of the Beeching Axe. Spofforth was a part of…