Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy, this week in Pickering, North Yorkshire

SMALL market towns have always fascinated me and Pickering in North Yorkshire is no exception.

Each Monday its narrow streets are overflowing with stalls and the smell of soap and perfume, mingle with fresh flowers, fish, newly-baked bread, strong cheese and leather goods -- what a combination!

All this is overlooked by a medieval castle and a mighty church. Pickering Castle was built on the present site in the late 11th century and in 1106 Henry I visited the fortress and founded a vast hunting area which became known as the Forest of Pickering.

In 1267 the estate was given to the Earl of Lancaster and it was at this time that the market became locally famous.

By the 15th century the castle had declined in importance and was used as a quarry for the town and was not helped by Sir Richard Chomley. He removed 14 wagon loads of prime stone to use in the construction of his castle at nearby Roxby.

After the Civil War the ruin was returned to the Duchy of Lancaster which at that time, and ever since, has meant the ruling monarch. Pickering Castle is now looked after by English Heritage. The curtain wall and the deep, steep, but dried up moat are its most impressive features.

There has been a church at Pickering since Saxon times but the present St Peter and St Paul dates mainly to the 14th century. The most famous features of the church are the wonderful murals which are wall paintings which date mainly to the 15th century. For many years they were hidden beneath several coats of whitewash but these have now been cleared away to reveal some of the best examples of church art to be found in Europe.

While there I overheard a lady refer to the pictures as "grand muriels" which reminded me of Hilda Ogden's description of her wall decorations in an old episode of Coronation Street.

In another part of the church are a couple of maps of Washington DC. There is also a photograph of Robert King, who was born in Pickering in 1740. Robert was the surveyor who planned a new city on a site chosen by and named after George Washington.

There are other American connections, including plaques presented by ambassadors and Pickering is well established on the American Heritage Trail.

Pickering is the base of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which was surveyed by George Stephenson and opened in 1836.

For the first 11 years the carriages were drawn by horses but by 1845 steam was in full operation and the line was linked to the national network. It was closed under the Beeching Plan on March 6, 1965.

The Black Swan Inn, once Pickering's main coaching inn, has a plaque on its wall recording that a feast was held to celebrate the opening of the railway. It also celebrates the reopening of the North Yorkshire Moors railway as a private enterprise on May 1, 1973.

This is one of the longest privately operated railways in the country and links Pickering to Grosmont, a total distance of 29kms (18 miles). There is a 6km (3 miles) long railway trail which follows the route of Stephenson's original line.

No wonder that the line has gone from strength to strength and adds to Pickering's tourist attractions. There is the Monday market, the castle and of course the church with its American connections and especially its exquisite 'muriels.'