Knaresborough's famous House in the Rock now looks likely to become a tourist attraction.

The cliffside home, which stands 300ft above a gorge overlooking the River Nidd, has been closed for over two years following extensive repairs. It seemed as if the once-popular visitor attraction would become a private holiday home. But now former tenant Nancy Buckle, the newly-appointed town crier of Knaresborough, has persuaded her town council to stump up £5,000 to kickstart a trust and safeguard its future for the community.

Miss Buckle's battle to save the Grade II listed building, her home for 35 years until essential repairs forced her to leave for a more conventional house nearby, said she was now very hopeful for the dwelling's future.

"Knaresborough can't afford to let this curiosity go. We have recently lost the oldest chemist's shop where visitors loved to buy the famous lavender water. We need attractions like the House in the Rock to bring people to the town," she said.

Miss Buckle said a benefactor was already waiting in the wings to support the reopening once a trust had been formed.

She added: "Years of apathy has literally been murdering our town. Knaresborough has been dying on its feet, but it is not irreversible and I believe people power is very important. But local people need to take the initiative themselves rather than just say they are sorry about the state of things."

A former nursing sister, 54-year-old Miss Buckle still tends the garden at her former home. Visitors have constantly been asking her when the home will reopen.

The campaigner is now hopeful that Harrogate Council will match the £5,000 grant from Knaresborough to boost the trust.

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