Harrogate

Harrogate is a spa town with a very interesting history which is to be found 13 miles from the Yorkshire Dales National Park, 10 miles from Leeds and Bradford airport, and it has a good road network connecting it to: Leeds, Ripon, York, Skipton and Wetherby. Harrogate was actually voted “the happiest place to live in Britain” during the years 2013 – 2015.
The town grew out of two settlements which were High Harrogate and Low Harrogate in the seventeenth century and were both within The Royal Forest of Knaresborough. It was attested in the 1330s as Harwegate, Harougat and Harrowgate though the origin of the name Harrogate is unclear.
Harrogate is well-known for its rich mineral springs which were discovered in 1571 by William Slingsby who realised that water from the Tewit Well in High Harrogate had similar properties to that from the springs in the Belgian town of Spa – its medicinal properties were written about by Edmund Deane in his book ‘The English Spa Fountain’.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, discoveries of chalybeate and sulphur springs in High Harrogate and Low Harrogate were made. Many visitors flocked to both places with the result that many inns opened to cater for this influx of people, the Georgian Theatre opened in 1788 for entertainment and also the Royal Bath Hospital opened in 1826.
Of course, Harrogate is most famous for its spa waters which contain iron, sulphur and common salt and it has contributed significantly to the local economy as it attracted many wealthy, sick visitors to the town.
But there is more to the town than its spa waters, so let’s take a look at other aspects of the place.
In the past, the Central Electricity Generating Board, the Milk Marketing Board and ICI were big employers in the town – Crimplene was invented at Hornbeam Park in the 1950s.
Today, Harrogate is the home of Yorkshire Tea (exported by Taylors of Harrogate), Harrogate Spring Water, Farrah’s Toffee, Harrogate Blue Cheese, not to forget Debbie & Andrews Harrogate sausages! It is also the venue for the Great Yorkshire Show which is hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society – not to forget the Harrogate Flowers Shows.
It is important to state that the town’s conference and exhibition industry play a major role in attracting business to the town e.g. The Harrogate International Centre brings in over £150 million a year and pulls in more than 350,000 business visitors annually, who in turn, sustain a number of large hotels.
It is also worth mentioning that, in 2007, two metal detectorists found a hoard of tenth century Viking treasure which consisted of nearly 700 coins and items from as far away as Afghanistan.
If you a partial to a spot of retail therapy, you will find many shops on Cambridge Street, Oxford Street, Beulah Street and James Street. There is also a wide range of boutique and designer outlets on Parliament Street, in the Montpellier Quarter as well as in Commercial Street.
People interested in architecture will appreciate the Grade I listed building St Wilfrid on Duchy Road which was designed by Temple Lushington Moore and the Royal Hall Theatre which is a Grade II listed building designed by Frank Matcham. You might also like to visit the Royal Pump Room which houses a museum showcasing the town’s spa history.
If you fancy spending time in a park, then why not visit Valley Gardens in Low Harrogate? – it’s the town’s main park and contains many facilities including a children’s play area, a skate park and crazy golf etc.
Some people may also be unaware that Harrogate International Centre hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1982 and that the town has two orchestras: Harrogate Symphony Orchestra and Harrogate Philharmonic Orchestra – so it is not short of a bit of culture!
Interestingly, the town served as the finish line of the first stage of the Tour de France on 5 July 2014. It has since been the focal point for the finishing stages of the Tour de Yorkshire in 2017.
If you fancy living in the Harrogate area (and can afford to!) and you have kids, then there is Harrogate High School and many private schools in the town centre and surrounding areas like Queen Ethelbuga’s.
To conclude, I would recommend a visit to Harrogate as it is such a vibrant and interesting town.
* With a lot of help from Wikipedia

Harrogate is featured within FTHM Issue 62

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