A Brief History of Harrogate

A Brief History of Harrogate "Harrogate is the queerest place with the strangest people in it, leading the oddest lives of dancing, newspaper reading and dining". Charles Dickens, 1858 1332 1399 1496 1571 Earliest surviving documentary evidence of the "Harrogate" name. The whole of Harrogate became Royal property when the possessions of the Duchy of Lancaster merged with the English Crown. Appointment of earliest known Harrogate Constable, Robert Mathew. William Slingsby of Bilton Park discovered the Tewit Well, noting that the mineral water was identical to the famous waters of Spa, in what is now Belgium. He notified his friend, Dr. Timothy Bright, personal physician to Queen Elizabeth I. Dr. Bright dubbed Harrogate "the English Spa", the first such application in England. Publication of Edmund Deane's Spadacrene Anglica began to spread the fame of Harrogate Spa. St. John's Well - a "Chalybeate" or "Iron Spring", was discovered close to the Tewit Well by Michael Stanhope. Harrogate rapidly expanded. The first public bathing house was built - by the end of the century there were twenty. The first hotels were located in High Harrogate, this area being more fashionable than Low Harrogate. Low Harrogate's sulphur well (the "Stinking Well") became popular and was thought to have health giving and curative properties. Harrogate was well established as a Spa, with many promotional leaflets produced by the Medical profession. No other place on Earth has so many different springs in such a concentrated area, with thirty six alone at so-called Bogs Field in the Valley Gardens. In all, Harrogate has eighty eight officially listed springs. An Act of Parliament decreed the enclosure of the Royal Forest, thus threatening the future of Harrogate Spa. The Enclosure Act for the Forest of Knaresborough ordered that 200 acres of land and all the mineral wells become public property; forever open and unenclosed. The Stray was born! High Harrogate Theatre was built. 1596 1626 1631 1660 1663 1695 1700 1700 1778 1788 1806 The Promenade Room was erected - this was recently restored to house the Mercer Art Gallery. Today, this provides a home for the District's superb collection of fine art, as well as staging an exciting programme of contemporary exhibitions. By the end of the decade, 10,000 people a year were visiting Harrogate. The Harrogate Advertiser was published for the first time. After the discovery of an attempt by the Crown Hotel to divert the waters of the neighbouring public Sulphur Well into private hands, local citizens petitioned Parliament for a new Act to protect the Wells. This established a new form of Local Government - the Improvement Commissioners. The New Royal Pump Room was designed to house the old sulphur well. The first Railway terminus (Brunswick Station) was built in Harrogate, enabling more people to visit the town. The first Magnesia Well Pump Room was built. Charles Dickens visited Harrogate, noting, "Harrogate is the queerest place with the strangest people in it, leading the oddest lives of dancing, newspaper reading and dining". Victoria Park Company linked to the two towns of High and Low Harrogate together, to form a single modern town. 30,000 people were visiting Harrogate per year. By now the population of Harrogate had doubled and the town was expanding with new hotels and public buildings being erected. Harrogate became an Incorporated Borough. The Valley Gardens were established to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign. The Royal Baths were opened by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. Said to be the most advanced centre for hydrotherapy in the world, the medicinal baths employed bath attendants and masseurs, with facilities including Turkish Baths, rest cubicles, Vichy Douches and electric shock baths. The Grand Opera House opened, now the Harrogate Theatre. A demand for better entertainment led to the building of the Kursaal in May. Renamed the "Royal Hall", the Grade II listed building is now part of Harrogate International Centre, providing an elegant venue for entertainment, conferences and exhibitions. By now 75,000 people were visiting Harrogate each year. 1830s 1836 1841 1842 1849 1858 1858 1860 1860s 1880s 1884 1887 1897 1900 1903 1910 1913 1914-18 The Royal Pump Room was extended, with the creation of a glass and iron annexe. The First World War brought great social change. The number of rich visitors to Harrogate declined, but those of middle income increased. The Spa was the only one in England to make a profit during the inter-war years. On one morning it was recorded that a staggering 1,500 drinks of sulphur water were served from the Royal Pump Room. Following a sensational disappearance that captured the nation's imagination, the novelist Agatha Christie was found, alive and apparently suffering from amnesia, at the Harrogate Hydro Hotel (now renamed "The Old Swan"). Sir Edward Elgar made his last visit to Harrogate. The Depression accelerated the decline in spa treatment. The Sun Pavilion and Colonnade were opened in the Valley Gardens by Lord Horder. During the second World War, many ministerial departments were evacuated to Harrogate. The spa industry continued to decline, despite a grant from the National Health Service of £30,000 per annum. This was exacerbated by the advancement of modern medical treatments and the new fashion for foreign holidays. The early part of this decade saw the Borough Council starting to promote facilities for conferences and meetings, at the Royal Hall and Harrogate's major hotels. The Royal Pump Room was converted into a museum, telling the history of the Spa. Visitors can still taste the water here, as well as enjoy the changing exhibitions, which showcase items from the Museum's extensive reserve collections. The town was to be marketed as a conference and exhibition destination. A temporary exhibition hall was built on the Spa Room gardens. The Toy Fair came to Harrogate for the first time after Manchester and Leeds could not accommodate it. It has been held in Harrogate every year since and is one of the most important trade fairs for the town. A second exhibition hall was built. The Royal Baths closed for all treatment except the Turkish Baths and Harrogate ceased to be a spa. A third exhibition hall was built. By now the occupancy levels of the Royal Hall were 80% and the exhibition centre 90%. Site work began for a proposed International Conference Centre. The film "Agatha". with Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave was filmed in Harrogate. 1926 1926 1927 1930s 1933 1939-45 1950s 1953 1959 1960s 1966 Mar 1969 1971 1976 1977 Dec 1981 Harrogate International Conference Centre was opened, the first event being the Eurovision Song Contest (24th April 1982) and foundations were laid for a new hotel. The "Harrogate International Hotel" (now the "Holiday Inn") was opened, adjacent and linked to HIC. A refurbishment package began on the International Centre to improve the existing halls and increase exhibition space. The Victoria Shopping Centre is opened in the centre of Harrogate. Designed by British architect David Cullearn taking inspiration from Palladio's famous Basilica at Vincenza. Exhibition Hall Q was opened, providing 1,752m2 of permanent shell scheme. The proposed development for a brand new exhibition hall was announced. A reworked canopy in keeping with the original style was completed, to the front of the Royal Hall. A new glazed Linkway building at HIC was opened, running along the Kings Road frontage below Hall D, improving connections between the other exhibition halls and Conference Centre. Harrogate's Royal Baths were closed to the public for redevelopment. Harrogate's elegant Sun Pavilion in the Valley Gardens was re-opened by HM the Queen. Her Majesty also visited the recently relaunched Harrogate Theatre and highly successful Farrah's Toffee factory, whose confectionery she is said to greatly enjoy. Harrogate's latest luxury hotel opens - The Cedar Court Hotel, a Grade II listed building dates back to 1674, formerly the Queen Hotel. April 1999 Plans to provide Harrogate with a much needed new exhibition hall were unanimously agreed at a full Council meeting in June, with work to be completed by Autumn 2000. The Harrogate Hydro Swimming Pool and Leisure Complex opens. Exhibition Hall M opened providing 1500m2 of exhibition space taking the overall total of exhibition space to 16,500m2 within the 8 interlinked exhibition hall complex. Redevelopment of the Royal Baths site gets underway including the relocation of the Tourist Information Centre and the refurbishment of the Turkish Baths. New entrance to Exhibition Hall A unveiled, complementing the design of Hall M creating a much improved entrance lobby. Official opening of Harrogate's new Tourist Information Centre by Alan Britten, Chairman of the English Tourism Council. Still located in the Royal Baths building the TIC has a new ground floor location allowing access for all. 1985 1992 1992 Jun 1994 Nov 1995 Mar 1997 Jun 1998 Oct 1997 Dec 1998 1999 1999 Sept 2000 Jun 2001 Jan 2002 Jan 2002 Feb 2002 The first phase of the refurbishment of the Harrogate Turkish Baths and Health Spa is completed, including new treatment rooms, cafe area, new entrance and reception area. The project is partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Major refurbishment of Hall Q with complete redecoration including new shell scheme, and the recruitment of two additional staff to join the existing Hall Q team. Exciting new plans to provide extra meeting rooms/break-out space at HIC revealed. Two new rooms above Halls B & C would fulfil the emerging need for additional space. Work on the new Queens Suite meeting rooms/break-out space starts on site. Scheduled for completion February 2005. Harrogate Turkish Baths closes for Phase II of the restoration project funded partly by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the total restoration of the baths. The Turkish Baths fully reopens restored back to their colourful Victorian splendour, with their decoration, fixtures and fittings as near as possible to the original scheme. Harrogate and the Dales village of Darley both win Gold Medals in Entente Florale - Europe in Bloom The £5m Queen's Suite opens. It provides one main room seating 600 theatre style or 400 cabaret style. Subdivisible into up to 10 sound proofed rooms. Stuart Quin, takes over as the new Director of HIC. June 2002 Oct 2002 July 2003 Jan 2004 July 2004 Sept 2004 Feb 2005 Nov 2005 Marketing & Sales, Harrogate International Centre, Kings Road, Harrogate, HGl 5LA. Tel. (01423) 500500. Fax. (01423) 537270 www.harrogateinternationalcentre.co.uk and www.enjoyharrogate.com Updated: July 2006