Harrogate

Harrogate shown within North Yorkshire

Harrogate is the name of a town (pop. 70,000) and a far wider administrative district (pop. 150,000) of North Yorkshire in northern England.

The District

Harrogate was granted status as a borough in the 12th century, and was primarily a centre for agriculture and the wollen industry. Towns and dales in the district include:

Harrogate
Knaresborough
Ripon
Aldborough
Boroughbridge
Masham
Pately Bridge
Nidderdale
Wensleydale
Wetherby
Warfedale

Historical sites include:

Aldborough Roman Museum
Fountains Abbey
Ripon Cathedral
Knaresborough Castle
Ripley Castle
Spofforth Castle
Marston Moor

The Town

The town's name derives from Har Low Gata, meaning "Grey Hill Road", and is still present in Harrogate's Harlow-Carr gardens. Harrogate became famous as a spa town because of its naturally iron and sulfur rich water thanks to William Slingsby, before which time it was merely a village near the historic town of Knaresborough. Slingsby discovered the mineral properties of the local water supply at Tewit Well, the site of which is presently marked by a dome located in the center of The Stray (A 200 acre open space running through the middle of town which was created by an act of Parliament in 1778). Many other wells are located in Harrogate's Valley Gardens and the Royal Pump Room museum.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Harrogate was extremely popular among the English elite, and was frequented by nobility from around Europe. It's popularity declined after WWI, but during WWII Harrogate's large hotels accommodated government offices which had been evacuated from London which paved the way for the town's current function as a commercial, conference, and exhibition centre.