Harrogate
Encyclopedia
Harrogate is a spa town
in North Yorkshire
, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales
national park
. Harrogate originated in the 17th century, with High Harrogate and Low Harrogate as two separate settlements. It lies adjacent to Knaresborough
, with which it forms a single urban area, and is in the Nidd valley
.
Harrogate spa water contains iron
, sulphur and common salt
. The town became known as 'The English Spa' in the Georgian Era
, after its waters were first discovered in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries especially, these 'chalybeate
' waters (i.e. containing iron) were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town.
Harrogate railway station
and Harrogate bus station
in the town centre provide transport connections. Leeds Bradford International Airport
is 10 miles (16.1 km) south west of Harrogate. The main road through the town is the A61
, connecting Harrogate to Leeds
and Ripon
. Harrogate is also connected to Wetherby
and the A1, by the A661
. The town of Harrogate on its own had a population of 71,594 at the 2001 UK census; the urban area comprising Harrogate and nearby Knaresborough
had a population of 85,128, while the figure for the much wider Borough of Harrogate
, comprising Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon
and a large rural area, was 151,339.
The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means "a citadel famous for its springs."
and sulphur
rich water, Harrogate comprised two hamlets, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, close to the historic town of Knaresborough
. The first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 by William Slingsby, who found that water from the Tewit Well
possessed similar properties to that from the springs of the Belgian
town of Spa
, which gave its name to spa town
s. The medicinal properties of the waters were widely publicised by Edmund Deane, whose book, Spadacrene Anglica, or the English Spa Fountain was published in 1626. Harrogate developed fame as a spa town following the enclosure of surrounding lands in 1770, when 200 acre (0.809372 km²) were reserved as public commons, the Stray, which has remained a popular spot for picnicking, kite-flying, outdoor games and local football matches. To provide entertainment for increasing numbers of visitors to the village, the Georgian Theatre was built in 1788. Bath Hospital (later the Royal Bath Hospital) was built in 1826. The Royal Pump Room
was built in 1842.
In 1870, engineering inventor Samson Fox
perfected the process of creating water gas
, in the basement laboratory of Grove House
. After constructing a trial plant at his home on Scarborough Road, making it the first house in Yorkshire to have gas lighting and gas heating; he built a town sized plant to supply Harrogate. After he had completed the conversion of Parliament Street to make it the world's first route to be lit by water-gas, newspapers commented: "Samson Fox has captured the sunlight for Harrogate." After donating the towns first fire engine, and building the towns theatre, he was later elected mayor for three years, a still unprecedented record.
Today the site of the Tewit Well is marked by a dome on the Stray. Other wells can be found in Harrogate's Valley Gardens and the Royal Pump Room museum.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Harrogate was popular among the English élite and was frequented by nobility from Europe . Its popularity declined after World War I
. During World War II
, Harrogate's large hotels accommodated government offices that had been evacuated from London. This paved the way for the town's current function as a commercial, conference, and exhibition centre.
In 1893 Harrogate doctor George Oliver
was the first to observe the effect of adrenaline on the circulation.
Former employers in the town were ICI
, who occupied offices and laboratories at Hornbeam Park, the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB
), and the Milk Marketing Board
. ICI's Hornbeam Park laboratories at Hornbeam Park were the location of the invention of Crimplene
in the 1950s, named after the nearby Crimple Valley and Beck.
The town hosted the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest in the conference centre.
Harrogate won the 2003 Britain in Bloom
in the category of 'Large Town' and won the European Entente Florale
competition in 2004. This reprises its win in the first Entente Florale competition in 1977. Harrogate was a gold medal winner of Europe in Bloom in 2004. In 2005, a Channel 4
TV show listed Harrogate as the UK's third best place to live. In 2006 it came fourth in the same league; the programme claimed that it placed lower due to "a slight dip in exam results", though presenter Phil Spencer
noted that it was his personal favourite.
In 2007, two metal detector
ists found the Harrogate hoard
, a 10th century Viking
treasure hoard
, near Harrogate. The hoard contains almost 700 coins and other items from as far away as Afghanistan
. The hoard was described by the British Museum
as the most important find of its type in Britain for 150 years.
is Andrew Jones
, a Conservative
. He was elected in 2010, ousting the Liberal Democrats
who had won the seat at the previous three general elections. The town is part of Harrogate Borough Council, which since the 2010 election
has had a Conservative majority.
Harrogate is twinned
with:
- Bagnères-de-Luchon
, France
(since 1952) - Harrogate
, Tennessee
, United States
- Wellington
, New Zealand
and Bradford
. Harrogate is prosperous and as such has some of the highest property prices in England, with many properties in the town and surrounding villages valued at £1 million or more.
Harrogate is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, with the Vale of York to the east and the upland Yorkshire Dales to the west and northwest. It has a dry and mild climate, typical of places in the rain shadow
of the Pennines
. At an altitude of between 100 and 200 metres, Harrogate is higher than many English settlements. It has an average minimum temperature in January of slightly below 0 °C and an average maximum in July and August of 20 °C.
being the third largest fully integrated conference and exhibition centre in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe. It brings in over £150 million to the local economy every year and attracts in excess of 350,000 business visitors annually. The town is home to the Great Yorkshire Showground and Pavilions of Harrogate, which are major conference destinations.
The Great Yorkshire Showground is the hub of the regional agricultural industry, hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The Great Yorkshire Show
takes place here annually.
The many business visitors to Harrogate sustain a number of large hotels, originally built for visitors to the Spa.
Harrogate's main shopping district is focused on Cambridge Street, Oxford Street, Beulah Street and James Street where most of the high street shops can be found. There is a wide range of boutique and designer shopping on Parliament Street and in the Montpellier Quarter, as well as independent shopping around Commercial Street.
Eating out is popular in Harrogate, with the town well served by restaurants. Parliament Street and Cheltenham Parade are lined with many independent and chain restaurants, while there is also a concentration of chain restaurants on John Street and Albert Street.
Continuing Harrogate's tradition as a place of health and well being, there is a public Turkish bath on Parliament Street. The Turkish bath has a steam room, tepidarium, calidarium, laconium, plunge pool and a relaxation room, and offers spa treatments.
There are many fine examples of building and architecture about the town, including the Royal Hall
theatre, a Grade II listed building designed by Frank Matcham
. As the only surviving Kursaal in Britain, the Royal Hall is an important national heritage building. Restoration work was completed in 2007, and the Hall was formally opened on 22 January 2008, by The Prince of Wales
.
The Royal Pump Room
houses Europe's strongest sulphur well, but is now a museum showcasing the town's spa history.
Two military installations are both located to the immediate west of Harrogate, the Army Foundation College
and RAF Menwith Hill
, an electronic monitoring station.
are regionally renowned. They are owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate - the same company that makes the nationally well-known Yorkshire Tea
. Bettys has a second tea room at the Harlow Carr Gardens.
The Mercer Art Gallery is home to Harrogate district's fine art collection which consists of some 2,000 works of art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by William Powell Frith
, Atkinson Grimshaw, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Dame Laura Knight, Alan Davie
and many more.
The Montpellier Quarter is also the centre of the town's nightlife, which is mainly centred on the renovated Royal Baths development.
, set in 14 acres (56,656 m²) of garden landscape. The village is rich in history with Georgian manor houses which were once occupied by the famous Tetley family.
Hollins Hall has become the centre of an ever growing community, very close to Harrogate town centre.
The Stray is an area of open parkland of some 200 acre (80.94 ha) (80 hectares) in the centre of the town. It was created in 1778 to link together most of Harrogate's springs in one protected area by an act of Parliament
which fixed its area as 200 acre (80.94 ha), and even now when part of it is removed, e.g. due to road widening, it must be replaced elsewhere. During the Victorian period, there was a racecourse for horses in the Stray. There is a funfair twice each summer which attracts tourists.
RHS Harlow Carr gardens is a privately owned group of award-winning themed gardens on the outskirts of Harrogate.
Crescent Gardens is a small open area in central Harrogate. It is surrounded by some of the town's main tourist attractions including the Royal Pump Room, Royal Baths and Royal Hall, as well as the Town Hall. Hall M of the Harrogate International Centre also fronts onto Crescent Gardens.
The town has several smaller parks and gardens, including Jubilee Gardens and Victoria Gardens on the eastern side of central Harrogate.
(for town centre), Hornbeam Park
, Pannal
(towards Leeds) and Starbeck
on the Harrogate Line
to Knaresborough and York. Trains are operated by Northern Rail
. Trains run every half hour to Leeds and Knaresborough, and every hour onto York. There are extra non-stop commuter services at peak times between Harrogate and Leeds.
There is one daily weekday service to London King's Cross operated by East Coast
. The train leaves Harrogate
at 07.28 and arrives at London King's Cross at 10.38. The return service leaves London King's Cross at 17.33 and arrives in Harrogate
at 20.29.
The former railway lines to Ripon
and Wetherby
(see Wetherby railway station
) were dismantled in the 1960s. A prospective railway company, First Harrogate Trains
, proposed to run trains from London King's Cross to Harrogate, but failed to get approval in a process that ended in February 2009.
Buses are every 15 minutes between Harrogate, Ripon
and Leeds
(via Harewood
, Moortown
and Chapel Allerton
) on Harrogate and District route 36. The 770 route also runs to Leeds via Wetherby
, Boston Spa
and Seacroft
as well as other parts of semi-rural Leeds. There are also services to Otley
, Bradford
, Knaresborough
and Pateley Bridge
, and in April 2008 a new service to York was commenced under the branding Yorkshire Connect but was pulled in 2011.
Harrogate is strongly connected to Leeds
, in both rail and road transport. This is also evident in the volume of high school students coming from Leeds to Harrogate everyday. The strong transport connection is very important for some of the Harrogate schools, especially Rossett School
. Road transport to Leeds is via the A61
(north and central Leeds), A658 (north west Leeds/Leeds Bradford International Airport
) and A661
(for north east Leeds). The A61 also continues northwards to Ripon, while the A658 connects to Bradford after passing through north west Leeds. The A658 also forms the Harrogate Bypass that skirts the south and east of the town, joining the A59 linking York
and the A1(M) to the east and Skipton
to the west with Harrogate.
The nearest airport is Leeds Bradford International Airport
to which there are bus services on route 767. Manchester Airport is also accessible by train via Leeds railway station.
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
. Harrogate originated in the 17th century, with High Harrogate and Low Harrogate as two separate settlements. It lies adjacent to Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
, with which it forms a single urban area, and is in the Nidd valley
River Nidd
The River Nidd is a tributary of the River Ouse in the English county of North Yorkshire. In its first few miles it is dammed three times to create Angram Reservoir, Scar House Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir which attract around 150,000 visitors a year...
.
Harrogate spa water contains iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, sulphur and common salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. The town became known as 'The English Spa' in the Georgian Era
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
, after its waters were first discovered in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries especially, these 'chalybeate
Chalybeate
Chalybeate waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.-Name:The word "chalybeate" is derived from the Latin word for steel, "chalybs", which follows from the Greek word "khalups"...
' waters (i.e. containing iron) were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town.
Harrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station serves the town centre of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line north of Leeds railway station. Northern Rail operate the station and provide all passenger train services except a daily East Coast service to and from London Kings...
and Harrogate bus station
Harrogate bus station
Harrogate bus station serves the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The bus station is managed by the Harrogate & District.The bus station is situated in Harrogate Town Centre just off Station Parade less than 100 metres away from the railway station. There are 13 stands and the main...
in the town centre provide transport connections. Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
is 10 miles (16.1 km) south west of Harrogate. The main road through the town is the A61
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
, connecting Harrogate to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
. Harrogate is also connected to Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
and the A1, by the A661
A661 road
The A661 is an A road running between Wetherby and Harrogate in West and North Yorkshire, England. The road is approximately in length....
. The town of Harrogate on its own had a population of 71,594 at the 2001 UK census; the urban area comprising Harrogate and nearby Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
had a population of 85,128, while the figure for the much wider Borough of Harrogate
Harrogate (borough)
Harrogate is a local government district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate but it also includes surrounding towns and villages...
, comprising Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
and a large rural area, was 151,339.
The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means "a citadel famous for its springs."
History
Before the discovery of ironIron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and sulphur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
rich water, Harrogate comprised two hamlets, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, close to the historic town of Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
. The first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 by William Slingsby, who found that water from the Tewit Well
Tewit Well
Tewit Well is a spa water well, the first chalybeate source discovered in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.After marrying Elizabeth Broad, in 1582 William Slingsby took his new wife on a Grand Tour of Europe, returning in 1594. In 1596, Slingsby discovered that water from Stray common in...
possessed similar properties to that from the springs of the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
town of Spa
Spa, Belgium
Spa is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liège. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountain chain, some southeast of Liège, and southwest of Aachen. As of 1 January 2006, Spa had a total population of 10,543...
, which gave its name to spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
s. The medicinal properties of the waters were widely publicised by Edmund Deane, whose book, Spadacrene Anglica, or the English Spa Fountain was published in 1626. Harrogate developed fame as a spa town following the enclosure of surrounding lands in 1770, when 200 acre (0.809372 km²) were reserved as public commons, the Stray, which has remained a popular spot for picnicking, kite-flying, outdoor games and local football matches. To provide entertainment for increasing numbers of visitors to the village, the Georgian Theatre was built in 1788. Bath Hospital (later the Royal Bath Hospital) was built in 1826. The Royal Pump Room
Royal Pump Room, Harrogate
The Royal Pump Room is a museum and former spa water pump, located in the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.-Background:Debate continues to this day over whom and when the waters of Harrogate were discovered. Generally believed to be Sir William Slingsby who discovered Tewit Well, the...
was built in 1842.
In 1870, engineering inventor Samson Fox
Samson Fox
Samson Fox was a British engineer, industrialist, and philanthropist.-Life and career:Samson Fox was born in Bowling, Bradford, Yorkshire, England, to Jonas and Sarah Fox , and the family moved shortly afterwards to live in nearby Leeds...
perfected the process of creating water gas
Water gas
Water gas is a synthesis gas, containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is a useful product but requires careful handling because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas is made by passing steam over a red-hot hydrocarbon fuel such as coke:...
, in the basement laboratory of Grove House
Grove House, Harrogate
Grove House is a Grade II* listed manor house, located in Skipton Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Built in 1745-54 as World's End Inn, and the first house in Yorkshire to have gas lighting and heating, today it is a convalescence and old aged persons rest home, owned and operated by the...
. After constructing a trial plant at his home on Scarborough Road, making it the first house in Yorkshire to have gas lighting and gas heating; he built a town sized plant to supply Harrogate. After he had completed the conversion of Parliament Street to make it the world's first route to be lit by water-gas, newspapers commented: "Samson Fox has captured the sunlight for Harrogate." After donating the towns first fire engine, and building the towns theatre, he was later elected mayor for three years, a still unprecedented record.
Today the site of the Tewit Well is marked by a dome on the Stray. Other wells can be found in Harrogate's Valley Gardens and the Royal Pump Room museum.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Harrogate was popular among the English élite and was frequented by nobility from Europe . Its popularity declined after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Harrogate's large hotels accommodated government offices that had been evacuated from London. This paved the way for the town's current function as a commercial, conference, and exhibition centre.
In 1893 Harrogate doctor George Oliver
George Oliver (physician)
George Oliver was an English physician.He was born in Middleton-in-Teesdale, Durham, the second son of W. Oliver, a surgeon...
was the first to observe the effect of adrenaline on the circulation.
Former employers in the town were ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
, who occupied offices and laboratories at Hornbeam Park, the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB
CEGB
The Central Electricity Generating Board was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s....
), and the Milk Marketing Board
Milk Marketing Board
The Milk Marketing Board was a government agency established in 1933 to control milk production and distribution in the United Kingdom. It functioned as buyer of last resort in the British milk market, thereby guaranteeing a minimum price for milk producers...
. ICI's Hornbeam Park laboratories at Hornbeam Park were the location of the invention of Crimplene
Crimplene
Crimplene is a thick yarn used to make a fabric of the same name. The resulting cloth is heavy, wrinkle-resistant and retains its shape well. Britain's defunct ICI Fibres laboratory developed the fibre in the early 1950s and it is commonly thought it was named after the Crimple Valley in which the...
in the 1950s, named after the nearby Crimple Valley and Beck.
The town hosted the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest in the conference centre.
Harrogate won the 2003 Britain in Bloom
Britain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...
in the category of 'Large Town' and won the European Entente Florale
Entente Florale
The Entente Florale is an international horticultural competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in Europe for excellence in horticultural displays. Trophies are presented annually by tourist boards and horticultural societies of European countries...
competition in 2004. This reprises its win in the first Entente Florale competition in 1977. Harrogate was a gold medal winner of Europe in Bloom in 2004. In 2005, a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
TV show listed Harrogate as the UK's third best place to live. In 2006 it came fourth in the same league; the programme claimed that it placed lower due to "a slight dip in exam results", though presenter Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer is an English media personality, journalist and businessman, who appears with Kirstie Allsopp in a variety of home-buying programs on Channel 4 including Location, Location, Location and Relocation, Relocation...
noted that it was his personal favourite.
In 2007, two metal detector
Metal detector
A metal detector is a device which responds to metal that may not be readily apparent.The simplest form of a metal detector consists of an oscillator producing an alternating current that passes through a coil producing an alternating magnetic field...
ists found the Harrogate hoard
Harrogate hoard
The Vale of York Hoard, also known as the Harrogate Hoard and the Vale of York Viking Hoard, is a 10th century Viking hoard of 617 silver coins and 65 other items. It was found undisturbed in 2007 near the town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England...
, a 10th century Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
treasure hoard
Hoard
In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by...
, near Harrogate. The hoard contains almost 700 coins and other items from as far away as Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The hoard was described by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
as the most important find of its type in Britain for 150 years.
Governance
The MP for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituencyHarrogate and Knaresborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Harrogate and Knaresborough is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
is Andrew Jones
Andrew Jones (politician)
Andrew Hanson Jones is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency since 7 May 2010. He has been a member of Harrogate Borough Council for the High Harrogate ward since 2003. In 2007, he gained more than half of the...
, a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. He was elected in 2010, ousting the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
who had won the seat at the previous three general elections. The town is part of Harrogate Borough Council, which since the 2010 election
Harrogate Council election, 2010
The 2010 Harrogate Council election took place on 6 May 2010 to elect members of Harrogate Borough Council in North Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.After the election, the...
has had a Conservative majority.
Harrogate is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
- Bagnères-de-Luchon
Bagnères-de-Luchon
Bagnères-de-Luchon , also referred to as Luchon, is a spa town and a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(since 1952) - Harrogate
Harrogate, Tennessee
Harrogate is a city in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. The community has been known as "Harrogate" since the 19th century, but did not incorporate as a city by that name until 1993....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Geography
The town is a dormitory town for commuters working in the cities of LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Bradford
City of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
. Harrogate is prosperous and as such has some of the highest property prices in England, with many properties in the town and surrounding villages valued at £1 million or more.
Harrogate is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, with the Vale of York to the east and the upland Yorkshire Dales to the west and northwest. It has a dry and mild climate, typical of places in the rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
. At an altitude of between 100 and 200 metres, Harrogate is higher than many English settlements. It has an average minimum temperature in January of slightly below 0 °C and an average maximum in July and August of 20 °C.
Divisions and suburbs
- Central Harrogate is bounded by 'the Stray' to the south and west, and borders High Harrogate and Duchy to the east and north respectively. It is a district centre for retail with the Victoria Shopping Centre housing a number of major chains. Pedestrianised Cambridge Street and Oxford Street are the main high streets in the town, with Harrogate Theatre on Oxford Street. Parliament Street, Montpellier and James Street offer designer shopping and some upmarket department stores. An Odeon cinema can be found on the edge of central Harrogate, as can Asda and Waitrose supermarkets. Marks and Spencer have a large food hall in their department store on Oxford Street. A number of bars and restaurants can be found on Cheltenham Mount and John Street, while the Royal Baths and Parliament Street are the centre of the town's nightlife. The southern end of central Harrogate consists largely of detached houses that have been converted to offices although Harrogate Magistrates' Court and Harrogate Central Library can be found on Victoria Avenue. A bowling alley and some upmarket boutiques can be found along the Stray in central southern Harrogate, including the highly praised food emporium 'Weetons'.
- Oatlands is a wealthy suburb in the south of Harrogate. The suburb includes 2 schools, Oatlands Primary School and Oatlands Infant School, and some allotments.
- Woodlands is a large area in south east Harrogate which adjoins the districts of Starbeck/Knareborough Road. It is home to Harrogate Town F.C.Harrogate Town F.C.Harrogate Town Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1914 and currently competes in the Conference North division of the Football Conference.-History:...
, Woodlands Primary School, Morrisons and Sainsbury's supermarkets as well as the Woodlands pub. - BiltonBilton, HarrogateBilton is a major suburb of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, situated to the north-east of the town centre. It is a well-served suburb with access to four churches, two primary schools and its own library. In addition there are a number of shops and a wide variety of pubs. The Red Cat Cottage , a Grade...
, is a large area of Harrogate with many churches, stores and schools. One of the best areas for schooling, Richard Taylor School, Woodfield and Bilton Grange. The Poet's Corner is known for its 'poetic' street names and expensive housing. On the first May bank holiday each year the Bilton GalaBilton GalaThe Bilton Gala takes place in Bilton, Harrogate, North Yorkshire on the first Bank Holiday in May each year.The first Bilton Gala took place in 1977 to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee...
takes place. The first gala was held in 1977 and the event raises money for local groups and organisations. - Jennyfields is a large, modern area of Harrogate, it has one school, a primary school called Saltergate Primary School. The town's main public swimming pool is located on the edge of Jennyfield, as is 'the Academy' health club and gym.
- Duchy is an affluent area close to central Harrogate where most of the houses are large detached homes or large detached homes converted into flats. There are several private schools in this area, most notably Harrogate Ladies College. There is also a golf club and open countryside for walks etc.
- Starbeck is a large suburb to the east of Harrogate with a railway station with trains to Harrogate onto LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, KnaresboroughKnaresboroughKnaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
and YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. A frequent bus service links Starbeck to Harrogate and KnaresboroughKnaresboroughKnaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
. A number of schools, churches and convenience stores are situated in Starbeck. - Pannal is to the south of Harrogate, off the A61 roadA61 roadThe A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
. This suburb retains much of its village character. A commuter station links it to Harrogate and on to YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, KnaresboroughKnaresboroughKnaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
and LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. - High Harrogate is an inner suburb to the east of the town centre. It is focused on Westmoreland Street and the A59 road, where a number of shops and cafes are located. Expensive terraced houses line the Stray, which stops in High Harrogate. The 4* Victorian Shannon Court Guest House is the only guest house in High Harrogate http://www.shannoncourtguesthouse.co.uk.
- Low Harrogate, is an inner suburb to the west of the town centre. It is the focus of most of the tourist activity in the town, with the Royal Pump Room, Mercer Art Gallery and Valley Gardens.
- Harlow Hill is a suburb to the west of the town, accessed by Otley Road. It has a number of new developments and an office park. It is most well known for Harlow Carr Gardens. Harrogate Spa bottling plant is also on Harlow Hill, as is a water treatment centre.
- New Park, is a small area to the north of Harrogate, known for its primary school. There are a number of terraced houses in this area, as well as some light industrial and commercial premises.
- Wheatlands, is a wealthy suburb to the south of the Stray. It is exclusively residential, with the exception of 2 schools, St. Aidan's and St. John Fisher's.
- Knox joined to Bilton by a pedestrian bridge over Oak Beck. Originally, a ford allowed road access via Bilton, but road access is now via the A61 road.
- Hornbeam Park is a small, recently developed area of Harrogate accessed only by Hookstone Chase. It was originally developed as an office park and retains many offices, but it is now also the focus of Harrogate College (a campus of Hull University), a NuffieldNuffield FoundationThe Nuffield Foundation is a British charitable trust, established in 1943 by William Morris , the founder of the Morris Motor Company. Lord Nuffield wanted to contribute to improvements in society, including the expansion of education and the alleviation of disadvantage...
fitness and wellbeing centre, Travel Inn and restaurant, hospice and some small warehouses. It is served by Hornbeam Park railway stationHornbeam Park railway stationHornbeam Park railway station opened in 1992 and is in the southern suburbs of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England on the Harrogate Line, operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.-Services:...
to Harrogate and Leeds.
Economy
Harrogate has a strong and varied economy. The conference and exhibition industry is the focus of the town's business, with Harrogate International CentreHarrogate International Centre
The Harrogate International Centre is a convention and exhibition centre in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.It was first opened in 1982 and was notable as the host of the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest and had expanded overtime to include a 2,000 seat conference auditorium and eight exhibition...
being the third largest fully integrated conference and exhibition centre in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe. It brings in over £150 million to the local economy every year and attracts in excess of 350,000 business visitors annually. The town is home to the Great Yorkshire Showground and Pavilions of Harrogate, which are major conference destinations.
The Great Yorkshire Showground is the hub of the regional agricultural industry, hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The Great Yorkshire Show
Great Yorkshire Show
The Great Yorkshire Show is an agricultural show which takes place on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in the North of England annually from the second Tuesday of July until the following Thursday...
takes place here annually.
The many business visitors to Harrogate sustain a number of large hotels, originally built for visitors to the Spa.
Harrogate's main shopping district is focused on Cambridge Street, Oxford Street, Beulah Street and James Street where most of the high street shops can be found. There is a wide range of boutique and designer shopping on Parliament Street and in the Montpellier Quarter, as well as independent shopping around Commercial Street.
Eating out is popular in Harrogate, with the town well served by restaurants. Parliament Street and Cheltenham Parade are lined with many independent and chain restaurants, while there is also a concentration of chain restaurants on John Street and Albert Street.
Continuing Harrogate's tradition as a place of health and well being, there is a public Turkish bath on Parliament Street. The Turkish bath has a steam room, tepidarium, calidarium, laconium, plunge pool and a relaxation room, and offers spa treatments.
Landmarks
There are many fine examples of building and architecture about the town, including the Royal Hall
Royal Hall, Harrogate
The Royal Hall is a Grade II listed performance hall and theatre, located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.With local benefactors led by engineering inventor Samson Fox, the building opened in 1903 as the Kursaal. Designed by Robert Beale and Frank Matcham, one of the most prolific theatre...
theatre, a Grade II listed building designed by Frank Matcham
Frank Matcham
Frank Matcham was a famous English theatrical architect. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.-Early career:...
. As the only surviving Kursaal in Britain, the Royal Hall is an important national heritage building. Restoration work was completed in 2007, and the Hall was formally opened on 22 January 2008, by The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
.
The Royal Pump Room
Royal Pump Room, Harrogate
The Royal Pump Room is a museum and former spa water pump, located in the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.-Background:Debate continues to this day over whom and when the waters of Harrogate were discovered. Generally believed to be Sir William Slingsby who discovered Tewit Well, the...
houses Europe's strongest sulphur well, but is now a museum showcasing the town's spa history.
Two military installations are both located to the immediate west of Harrogate, the Army Foundation College
Army Foundation College
The Army Foundation College in Harrogate trains future soldiers from the infantry, armoured corps, artillery and elements of the Royal Logistic Corps . School-leavers aged between 16 and 17 years and five months of age are eligible to join. The AFC offers young men and women the opportunity to...
and RAF Menwith Hill
RAF Menwith Hill
RAF Menwith Hill is a Royal Air Force station near Harrogate, North Yorkshire which provides communications and intelligence support services to the United Kingdom and the United States of America...
, an electronic monitoring station.
Montpellier Quarter
Bettys Tea RoomsBettys and Taylors of Harrogate
Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate is an Anglo-Swiss family company located in North and West Yorkshire, England. Bettys Café Tea Rooms are traditional tea rooms serving traditional meals with influences both from Switzerland and Yorkshire. Taylors is a family tea and coffee merchant company which...
are regionally renowned. They are owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate - the same company that makes the nationally well-known Yorkshire Tea
Yorkshire Tea
Yorkshire Tea is a black tea blend produced by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, one of the few remaining family tea and coffee merchants in the United Kingdom.The company was founded in 1886 by Yorkshire tea merchant Charles Taylor...
. Bettys has a second tea room at the Harlow Carr Gardens.
The Mercer Art Gallery is home to Harrogate district's fine art collection which consists of some 2,000 works of art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by William Powell Frith
William Powell Frith
William Powell Frith , was an English painter specialising in genre subjects and panoramic narrative works of life in the Victorian era. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1852...
, Atkinson Grimshaw, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Dame Laura Knight, Alan Davie
Alan Davie
James Alan Davie is a Scottish painter and musician.He was born in Grangemouth and studied at Edinburgh College of Art in the late 1930s. An early exhibition of his work came through the Society of Scottish Artists...
and many more.
The Montpellier Quarter is also the centre of the town's nightlife, which is mainly centred on the renovated Royal Baths development.
Hollins Hall
Hollins Hall is a small retirement village on the outskirts of the Yorkshire DalesYorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
, set in 14 acres (56,656 m²) of garden landscape. The village is rich in history with Georgian manor houses which were once occupied by the famous Tetley family.
Hollins Hall has become the centre of an ever growing community, very close to Harrogate town centre.
Parks and gardens
Valley Gardens, in Low Harrogate, is the town's main park and covers much of the area originally known as 'Bogs Field', where a number of springs were discovered. Valley Gardens has a number of attractions including an ice cream parlour and a children's play area with an outdoor paddling pool. The Sun Pavilion at the northern edge of the park can be privately hired for events such as wedding receptions. A pitch and putt golf course, crazy golf, tennis courts and bowling green are in the west of the park. The Friends Of Valley Gardens group was formed in 2009 to support the park. FOVG works in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council to guide the Park’s future use and development.The Stray is an area of open parkland of some 200 acre (80.94 ha) (80 hectares) in the centre of the town. It was created in 1778 to link together most of Harrogate's springs in one protected area by an act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
which fixed its area as 200 acre (80.94 ha), and even now when part of it is removed, e.g. due to road widening, it must be replaced elsewhere. During the Victorian period, there was a racecourse for horses in the Stray. There is a funfair twice each summer which attracts tourists.
RHS Harlow Carr gardens is a privately owned group of award-winning themed gardens on the outskirts of Harrogate.
Crescent Gardens is a small open area in central Harrogate. It is surrounded by some of the town's main tourist attractions including the Royal Pump Room, Royal Baths and Royal Hall, as well as the Town Hall. Hall M of the Harrogate International Centre also fronts onto Crescent Gardens.
The town has several smaller parks and gardens, including Jubilee Gardens and Victoria Gardens on the eastern side of central Harrogate.
Sport
- Rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, Athletics, footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, ultimate frisbee, water poloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
and hockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
are popular sports in Harrogate played at plenty of schools and local clubs. - Harrogate Town FCHarrogate Town F.C.Harrogate Town Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1914 and currently competes in the Conference North division of the Football Conference.-History:...
situated on Wetherby Road play in the Conference NorthConference NorthThe Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
division and finished 6th in the season. They have a natural, good-natured rivalry with newly promoted Harrogate Railway Athletic F.C.Harrogate Railway Athletic F.C.Harrogate Railway Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1935. It currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North.-History:...
, of the Northern Premier League First DivisionNorthern Premier League First DivisionThe Northern Premier League First Division was a football league covering the north of England. After the creation of Conference North/South in the 2004-05 season it sat at level 8 of the English football league system....
, located at Station View. - Harrogate RUFC is a National 2 division team and based at The County Ground, Claro Road.
- Harrogate District Swimming Club Is a very successful amateur level swimming club that has had teams compete at National level and come home with medals. There are many different squads within the club with over 150 total members.
- Bilton Cricket Club, situated off Bilton Lane provides opportunities for players of all ages to play in Local League Cricket, Bilton Cricket Club have a good natured rivalry with Harrogate Cricket Club with Bilton defeating Harrogate in their last clash at St Georges Road in the Black Sheep Trophy in 2006.
- Harrogate Cricket Club is one of the strongest clubs in the Yorkshire league. Until 1995 the town hosted one Yorkshire county game per year at the St George's cricket ground. After a devastating fire which destroyed the historic old pavilion at the ground, a new pavilion is nearing completion (June 2011). Harrogate Cricket Club is to be the home of Yorkshire Women cricket teamYorkshire Women cricket teamThe Yorkshire Women's cricket team is the women's representative cricket team for the English historic county of Yorkshire. They play in Division One of the Women's County Championship.-Honours:...
. The club has 4 Saturday teams. - 1st XI - Yorkshire ECB County Premier LeagueYorkshire ECB County Premier LeagueThe Yorkshire ECB County Premier League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Yorkshire, England, and since 1999 has been a designated ECB Premier League.-Winners:-External links:* - official site* - Play-Cricket site...
- 2nd XI - York Senior League - Division 2
- 3rd XI - Also known as "Harrogate Strays" - Nidderdale League Division 2
- 4th XI - Also known as "Harrogate Devs" - Nidderdale League Division 5
- Running is also a popular sport at Harrogate Harriers, who run from Harrogate Squash Club on Harlow Hill and at Nidd Valley Road Runners, who share the premises of Harrogate Railway Athletic FC. Members compete in road races, cross-country and fell races or simply run for fun and to keep fit.
- Rock climbingRock climbingRock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
is a popular sport in and around Harrogate, both indoors at the Harrogate Climbing Centre and at venues such as Almscliffe CragAlmscliffe CragAlmscliffe Crag is a Millstone Grit outcrop at the top of a small hill near the village of North Rigton, between Leeds and Harrogate in West Yorkshire, England. The crag was formed due to the softer adjacent strata of shale and mudstone eroding at a faster rate than the hard wearing millstone.The...
and Brimham RocksBrimham RocksThe Brimham Rocks are balancing rock formations located on Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England. The rocks stand at a height of nearly 30 metres in an area owned by the National Trust which is part of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
. Rock climbing is seen as a personal challenge, however indoor climbing wallClimbing wallA climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors as well. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used is a thick multiplex board with holes drilled...
s hold climbing competitionClimbing competitionA climbing competition is usually held indoors on purpose built climbing walls.There are three main types of climbing competition:* Difficulty: competitors climb the same route one after the other...
s to create a competitive event. - Gord PettingerGord PettingerGordon Robert "Gosh" Pettinger is a retired British professional ice hockey centre who played 8 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins...
(b. November 11, 1911 in Harrogate, England - d. April 12, 1986) is a retired British professional ice hockey centre who played 8 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, and Boston BruinsBoston BruinsThe Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. Pettinger won four Stanley Cups with three different teams, the 1933 New York Rangers, 1936 and 1937 Detroit Red Wings, and the 1939 Boston Bruins. He is one of only ten players in Stanley Cup history to win the Cup with three different teams. - Muay ThaiMuay ThaiMuay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
. Kao Loi Gym (www.kaoloi.co.uk) has offered Muay Thai training to Harrogate residents and schools for over 14 years, and is based at the Zone at Hornbeam Park. Kao Loi caters for ages 8 upwards and works with people wanting to get fit, grade, or compete.
Transport
The town is served by four railway stations: HarrogateHarrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station serves the town centre of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line north of Leeds railway station. Northern Rail operate the station and provide all passenger train services except a daily East Coast service to and from London Kings...
(for town centre), Hornbeam Park
Hornbeam Park railway station
Hornbeam Park railway station opened in 1992 and is in the southern suburbs of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England on the Harrogate Line, operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.-Services:...
, Pannal
Pannal railway station
Pannal railway station serves the villages of Pannal and Spacey Houses in North Yorkshire, England, equidistant from both. It also serves the village of Burn Bridge, on the opposite side of Pannal. It is located on the Harrogate Line north of Leeds and operated by Northern Rail who provide all...
(towards Leeds) and Starbeck
Starbeck railway station
Starbeck railway station is located in the eastern suburbs of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 2.25 miles east of Harrogate and is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.-Background:...
on the Harrogate Line
Harrogate Line
The Harrogate Line is the name given to a passenger rail service through parts of North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England connecting Leeds to York by way of Harrogate and Knaresborough. The service is operated by Northern Rail, with a few additional workings by East...
to Knaresborough and York. Trains are operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
. Trains run every half hour to Leeds and Knaresborough, and every hour onto York. There are extra non-stop commuter services at peak times between Harrogate and Leeds.
There is one daily weekday service to London King's Cross operated by East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
. The train leaves Harrogate
Harrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station serves the town centre of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line north of Leeds railway station. Northern Rail operate the station and provide all passenger train services except a daily East Coast service to and from London Kings...
at 07.28 and arrives at London King's Cross at 10.38. The return service leaves London King's Cross at 17.33 and arrives in Harrogate
Harrogate railway station
Harrogate railway station serves the town centre of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line north of Leeds railway station. Northern Rail operate the station and provide all passenger train services except a daily East Coast service to and from London Kings...
at 20.29.
The former railway lines to Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
and Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
(see Wetherby railway station
Wetherby (Linton Road) railway station
Wetherby railway station was first built on the London and North Eastern Railway Harrogate to Church Fenton Line and the station was situated on Linton Road. This station replaced the earlier station on York Road...
) were dismantled in the 1960s. A prospective railway company, First Harrogate Trains
First Harrogate Trains
First Harrogate Trains was a proposed open-access UK train operating company. They planned to run regular direct rail services between Harrogate and London....
, proposed to run trains from London King's Cross to Harrogate, but failed to get approval in a process that ended in February 2009.
Buses are every 15 minutes between Harrogate, Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(via Harewood
Harewood
Harewood is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England. The A61 runs through the village, from Leeds city centre in the south to Harrogate in the north...
, Moortown
Moortown, Leeds
Moortown is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England in the LS17 postcode area. It is a civil parish and electoral ward in the north of the city. It is situated between Roundhay and Brackenwood on the east and Weetwood on the west, with Chapel Allerton to the south, and Alwoodley to the north...
and Chapel Allerton
Chapel Allerton
Chapel Allerton is an inner suburb of north-east Leeds, from the city centre, West Yorkshire, England. The Chapel Allerton electoral ward includes areas otherwise referred to as Chapeltown and Potternewton - the suburb is generally considered to be only the northern part of this...
) on Harrogate and District route 36. The 770 route also runs to Leeds via Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
, Boston Spa
Boston Spa
Boston Spa is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England, south of Wetherby, on the banks of the River Wharfe...
and Seacroft
Seacroft
Seacroft is an outer-city suburb consisting mainly of council estate housing covering an extensive area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre and lies in the LS14 Leeds postcode area....
as well as other parts of semi-rural Leeds. There are also services to Otley
Otley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Knaresborough
Knaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
and Pateley Bridge
Pateley Bridge
Pateley Bridge is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd.It has the oldest sweet shop in England and is the home of the Nidderdale Museum....
, and in April 2008 a new service to York was commenced under the branding Yorkshire Connect but was pulled in 2011.
Harrogate is strongly connected to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, in both rail and road transport. This is also evident in the volume of high school students coming from Leeds to Harrogate everyday. The strong transport connection is very important for some of the Harrogate schools, especially Rossett School
Rossett School
Rossett School, a coeducational secondary school located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, that is a specialist programme school known as a Mathematics and Computing College. Its students come from Harrogate, neighbouring towns and villages, and nearby Leeds with the latter taking a sizeable...
. Road transport to Leeds is via the A61
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
(north and central Leeds), A658 (north west Leeds/Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
) and A661
A661 road
The A661 is an A road running between Wetherby and Harrogate in West and North Yorkshire, England. The road is approximately in length....
(for north east Leeds). The A61 also continues northwards to Ripon, while the A658 connects to Bradford after passing through north west Leeds. The A658 also forms the Harrogate Bypass that skirts the south and east of the town, joining the A59 linking York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and the A1(M) to the east and Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
to the west with Harrogate.
The nearest airport is Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
to which there are bus services on route 767. Manchester Airport is also accessible by train via Leeds railway station.
Education
- Ashville CollegeAshville CollegeAshville College is a co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils aged 4–18 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It was founded as a Methodist boarding school for boys in 1877, and subsequently merged with Elmfield College and New College in the 1930s...
- Harrogate CollegeHarrogate CollegeHarrogate College is a further education college in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It traces its origins to the University Extension movement, which began in 1873 under the auspices of Cambridge University. It offers several levels of qualifications, including further- and higher-education...
, (became part of Leeds Metropolitan UniversityLeeds Metropolitan UniversityLeeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
until 1 August 2008, when it transferred to Hull CollegeHull CollegeHull College is a further education College in Hull, England. The enrollment of around 28,000students makes it one of the largest schools of its type in the United Kingdom...
) - Harrogate Grammar SchoolHarrogate Grammar SchoolHarrogate Grammar School is a specialist Language and Technology College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It has about 1700 pupils and there are about 400 pupils in the sixth form...
- Harrogate High SchoolHarrogate High SchoolHarrogate High School is a secondary school in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It has about 1,000 students on roll and approximately 85 full-time teaching staff. The school has been awarded specialist Sports College status...
, a specialist Sports CollegeSports CollegeSports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports... - Harrogate Ladies College
- Harrogate Tutorial CollegeHarrogate Tutorial CollegeHarrogate Tutorial College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England is a small co-educational independent school.HTC specialises in preparing students for university and teaches GCSE and A-level qualifications in tutorial classes...
- Rossett SchoolRossett SchoolRossett School, a coeducational secondary school located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, that is a specialist programme school known as a Mathematics and Computing College. Its students come from Harrogate, neighbouring towns and villages, and nearby Leeds with the latter taking a sizeable...
- St. Aidan's C of E High SchoolSt. Aidan's C of E High SchoolSt. Aidan's Church of England High School is a mixed Church of England School in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It currently houses over 1800 students of both lower school and sixth form age. The school's Chamber Choir won the 2006 Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year Competition...
, a specialist Language and Science College. - St. John Fisher Catholic High School, a specialist arts and Humanities college.
- St. Aidan's & St. John Fisher Associated Sixth FormSt. Aidan's & St. John Fisher Associated Sixth FormThe St. Aidan's & St. John Fisher Associated Sixth Form was created in 1973 as a venture in ecumenical education. The two schools, St. Aidan's C of E High School and St...
, a large sixth form shared across the Protestant and Catholic schools.
Media
- The town's newspaper is the Harrogate Advertiser, part of Ackrill Media Group.
- The local radio stations are BBC Radio YorkBBC Radio YorkBBC York is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of North Yorkshire.- Early history :The station was launched at 6:30am on 4 July 1983 - a launch featured on the cover of the Radio Times...
on 104.3 & 103.7 FM and Stray FM97.2 Stray FM97.2 Stray FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the towns of Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Wetherby and Boroughbridge as well as a large number of other areas in North and West Yorkshire, England...
on 97.2 FM. - The local leading online news source is Harrogate-News
Alcohol
- Harrogate NightsHarrogate Nights (cocktail)Harrogate Nights is an alcoholic beverage or cocktail made with vodka, archers , malibu, fresh orange juice fresh pineapple juice and fresh cranberry juice.-Origin:...
, is a popular alcoholic beverage which was created in Harrogate. - Alongside RunnymedeRunnymedeRunnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is the site of a collection of memorials...
, SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, people in Harrogate drink alcohol to more hazardous levels than anywhere else in the UK.
Notable residents
- Andrew BronsAndrew BronsAndrew Henry William Brons is a British politician. Long active in far right politics in Britain, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the British National Party at the 2009 European Parliament election...
, MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,... - Danny MillsDanny MillsDaniel John Mills is a former English professional footballer best known for his time at Leeds United. His main position was right-back, though he could also play as central defender...
- former Leeds United player - Dr Andrew Charles Quinn FRCARoyal College of AnaesthetistsThe Royal College of Anaesthetists is "the professional body responsible for the specialty of anaesthesia throughout the United Kingdom". It sets standards in anaesthesia, critical care, pain management, and for the training of anaesthetists, physician assistants - and practising critical care...
EDIC - A respected clinician and close friend and mentor to David ShoreDavid ShoreDavid Shore is a Canadian writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As a former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law, NYPD Blue, and Due South...
, the creator of HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. Dr Quinn was probably one of the inspirations for the character of Dr Gregory House and on Sunday mornings strolls on the Stray where he is frequently asked to speak of difficult diagnostic conundrums he has solved over his illustrious career.
See also
- Association of Harrogate ApprenticesAssociation of Harrogate Apprentices-Introduction:The Association of Harrogate Apprentices, whose spiritual home is at Harrogate in England, exists to re-unite people in any way associated with the Army Apprentices School, Harrogate which was renamed the Army Apprentices College, Harrogate in 1965...
- Eurovision Song Contest 1982Eurovision Song Contest 1982The Eurovision Song Contest 1982 was the 27th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 24 April 1982 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The presenter was Jan Leeming. The opening of the contest showed a map of Europe, with the translation "Where is Harrogate?" popping up on-screen from...
- Harrogate (Stonefall) Commonwealth War Graves Commission CemeteryHarrogate (Stonefall) Commonwealth War Graves Commission CemeteryHarrogate Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I and World War II located on the outskirts of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England....
- List of spa towns in the United Kingdom
- Harrogate District HospitalHarrogate District HospitalHarrogate District Hospital is an NHS district general hospital in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England run by the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.-Overview:...
- Samson FoxSamson FoxSamson Fox was a British engineer, industrialist, and philanthropist.-Life and career:Samson Fox was born in Bowling, Bradford, Yorkshire, England, to Jonas and Sarah Fox , and the family moved shortly afterwards to live in nearby Leeds...
, previous Mayor of Harrogate
External links
- Harrogate Borough Council
- Harrogate Advertiser, local newspaper
- Harrogate Confidential.com, local online magazine about Harrogate
- Harrogate Golf Club
- Harrogate Rugby Union Football Club
- Harrogate Hockey Club
- Harrogate Karate Club
- Harrogate Theatre
- Harrogate Turkish Baths
- Harrogate People, Places, Events, Historical Brochures, etc.
- Bilton Historical Society
- Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
etext of Edmund Deane's Spadacrene Anglica - Norwood College, Harrogate
- Harrogate Weather Station
- gardensharrogate.co.uk: parks & gardens to visit in the Harrogate area
- Kao Loi Muay Thai Gym
- Harrogate in Bloom/
- Harrogate-News local online news source