The Yorkshire Village of Fewston

The resevoir North of Yorkshire Village at Fewston is a hidden place in the countryside. This gem is six miles west of Harrogate.
One of the many great attractions of the North Yorkshire countryside is an abundance of unexpected and unspoiled places hidden like small jewels amongst the trees and hills, and one such gem is the Fewston/Swinsty reservoir area, situated about six miles west of Harrogate, accessible only by meandering country roads. It lies just out of sight of the futuristic giant ‘golf balls’ of the Menwith Hills radar station, in part of the ancient forest of Knaresborough.
Cradled by an arc of country road, which cuts across the water at both ends before disappearing into the woods and hills of the surrounding countryside, is the tiny village of Fewston, which consists of a few buildings of local granite and fields surrounded by the unmortared stone walls of the area.
The parish probably got its name from the Norman ‘fuist’, meaning lofty trees. It was once much larger, occupying most of the ancient forest, including Great Timble, Blubberhouses, Clifton-with-Norwood, and Thruscross, some 17,644 acres.
Approaching from the south the traveler emerges suddenly from a tunnel of trees to cross the solid stone Fewston Embankment, and on the left lies the flat, calm water, with a few silent fishermen, immobile on the shoreline. It is almost impossible to drive on. The car must be parked, the silence can be almost tasted. You can walk from here along the curving road and around the two reservoirs, or take one of the paths across the wooded fields to the Swinsty reservoir.
At the end of the embankment, an imposing mansion overlooks the water, and the road curves sharply, revealing a picture-book cottage and post office, outside which sits a bright red pillar box, incongruous against the gray stone of the buildings and misty green of the trees. On the opposite side of the road one catches tantalizing glimpses of water glinting through the trees. A little further is the central anchor of the village, the old church of St Michael and St Lawrence, with the Parochial Hall a few yards away. This church is said to have been destroyed twice by fire, and was altered extensively in the 14th century. The first vicar was Dom William Plesitz (1234 – 1280), the second was brother Walter De La Mere, of the asinine order, a university man.
The church, then, has served the spiritual and social needs of the village and surrounding area for over 700 years. Dedicated to both saints, it is a plain, unimposing and abiding place of worship.
Further on along the gentle curve of the road, past hidden, scattered houses, and fields enclosed by moss-covered walls, lies the Swinsty Tea Gardens, warm in winter, cool in summer, a haven for hikers and travelers. Across the road is a park area, bordering the western edge of the Swinsty reservoir. Framed in trees, lighted by the late afternoon sun, the waters are suddenly disturbed by the raucous quacking of a flock of geese, and the splash of a large white swan. Looking across the water, one traces the road, which, a few yards further on, again crosses the water, and plunges into the tree-covered hills.