Why Nidd Films?

Nidd Films

We chose the name Nidd Films because the River Nidd is more than water, it is a witness to history.

Carved during the last Ice Age, the Nidd has been central to human life for thousands of years. Iron Age tribes built hillforts above its gorge. The Celts named it Nid, meaning “the shining one.” Romans mined lead in its valley, and Vikings buried treasure nearby. In the Middle Ages, Knaresborough Castle rose above its banks; St Robert of Knaresborough lived as a hermit in his riverside cave; and Mother Shipton, the prophetess, was born beside its waters.

River Nidd

But the river also tells sadder stories. During the Industrial Revolution, mills along the Nidd were powered by the labour of poor children sent from London workhouses, lives of toil and suffering hidden behind Yorkshire’s prosperity. In the 20th century, entire valleys were lost when reservoirs drowned villages, farms, and memories beneath the water.

The Nidd is both beauty and brutality, memory and myth. It connects Celts, Romans, Vikings, saints, prophets, workers, and us. Just as water shapes the land, stories shape who we are.

That is why we are Nidd Films. We carry history forward, telling stories rooted in the past, but made for today.