Visit Harrogate Places

Welcome to Visit Harrogate Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Harrogate

  

Harrogate Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Harrogate

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Harrogate history

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In medieval times Harrogate was a place on the borders of the township of Bilton. The part within the township developed into the community of High. The first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 by William Slingsby. The medicinal properties of the waters were publicised by Edmund Deane. In 17th and 18th centuries further chalybeate and sulphur springs were discovered.

Harrogate culture & places

On 11 January 1900, Harrogate Grand Opera House opened with a charity gala in aid of British soldiers fighting the Boer War in South Africa followed on 13 January 1900 by J Tully’s pantomime “Dick Whittington” The town hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 in the Harrogates International Centre. The town won the 2003 and 2016 Britain in Bloom in the category of ‘Large Town’

Harrogate landmarks

The only Grade I listed building in Harrogate is St Wilfrid, Duchy Road, designed by Temple Lushington Moore. Another main landmark is the Royal Hall theatre, a Grade II listed building designed by Frank Matcham. The Royal Pump Room houses Europe’s strongest sulphur well, but is now a museum showcasing spa history.

Montpellier Quarter

The Mercer Art Gallery is home to Harrogate district’s art collection which consists of 2,000 works of art. The Montpellier Quarter is the centre of the town’s nightlife, which is mainly centred on the renovated Royal Baths development.

Parks and gardens

The 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. The Stray is an area of open parkland in the centre of the town. Crescent Gardens is a small open area surrounded by the Royal Pump Room and Royal Baths.

Harrogate geography / climate

Harrogate is prosperous and has some of the highest property prices in England. Many properties in the town and surrounding villages are valued at £1 million or more. The town has good commuter services for people who work in Leeds, Bradford and York area.

Climate

The average annual temperature in Harrogate is 48 °F (8.9 °C) In a year, the average rainfall is 29 inches (742 mm) The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Cfb.

Divisions

Central Harrogate is bounded by ‘the Stray’ or ‘Two Hundred acres’ to the south and west, and borders High Harrogate and the Duchy estate to the east and north respectively. It is a district centre for retail and the Victoria Shopping Centre houses a number of major chains. Pedestrianised Cambridge Street and Oxford Street are the main high streets, and Harrogate Theatre is on Oxford Street. Parliament Street, Montpellier and James Street offer designer shopping and upmarket department stores. An Odeon cinema is located on the edge of central Harrogate, as are Asda and Waitrose supermarkets. Marks and Spencer has a large food hall in its store on Oxford Street. A number of bars and restaurants can be found on Cheltenham Crescent and John Street, while the Royal Baths and Parliament Street are at 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. Some upmarket boutiques are situated along the Stray in central southern Harrogate. Oatlands is a wealthy area in the south of Harrogate. It includes two schools, Oatlands Primary School and Oatlands Infant School, and some allotments. Woodlands is a large area in south-east Harrogate which adjoins Starbeck/Knareborough Road. It is home to Harrogate Town F.C., Willow Tree Primary School, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s supermarkets as well as the Woodlands pub. Bilton, is a large area of Harrogate with many churches, stores and schools. It has several schools, Richard Taylor School, Woodfield and Bilton Grange. Poets’ Corner is known for its ‘poetic’ street names and expensive housing. On the first May bank holiday each year the Bilton Gala 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 in the north west of Harrogate, it has two schools, Saltergate Infant School and Saltergate Primary School. The town’s main public swimming pool is located on the edge of Jennyfield. The Duchy estate is an affluent area close to central Harrogate where most houses are large detached homes or large detached homes converted into flats. There are several private schools, notably Harrogate Ladies’ College. There is a golf club and open countryside for walking. Starbeck is a large area to the east of Harrogate with a railway station with trains to elsewhere in Harrogate on to Leeds, Knaresborough and York. A frequent bus service links Starbeck to Harrogate and Knaresborough. A number of schools, churches and shops are situated in Starbeck. Pannal is to the south of Harrogate, off the A61 road. It retains much of its village character. A commuter station links it to Harrogate and on to York, Knaresborough and Leeds. High Harrogate is an inner section to the east of the town centre. It is focused on Westmoreland Street and the A59 Skipton Road, where a number of shops and cafés are located. Expensive terraced houses line the Stray, which stops in High Harrogate. Low Harrogate is an inner section to the west of the town centre. It is the focus of most tourist activity in the town, with the Royal Pump Room, Mercer Art Gallery and the Valley Gardens. Harlow Hill is a district to the west of the town, accessed by Otley Road. It has a number of new developments and an office park. It is known for RHS Harlow Carr Gardens. Harrogate Spa bottling plant is on Harlow Hill, as is a water treatment centre. New Park is a small area to the north of Harrogate with a primary school. There are a number of terraced houses and some light industrial and commercial premises. Wheatlands is a wealthy district south of the Stray. It is residential and has two high schools, St Aidan’s and St John Fisher’s. Knox, north of the town, is separated from Bilton by greenbelt. It straddles Oak Beck, which vehicles used to be able to cross via a ford. This route was blocked in the 1980s and the beck can now be crossed only by pedestrians and cyclists using the adjacent Spruisty packhorse bridge. Cars must go via the A61 (Ripon) road. Hornbeam Park is a small, recently developed area accessed only by Hookstone Road. It was developed as an office park and retains many offices, and is also home to Harrogate College (formerly part of Hull College Group, but part of Luminate Education Group, previously known as Leeds City College, since 1 August 2019), a Nuffield fitness and wellbeing centre, Travel Inn and restaurant, hospice and some small warehouses. It is served by Hornbeam Park railway station with trains to Harrogate and Leeds.

You can visit Harrogate places with Walkfo Harrogate to hear history at Harrogate’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Harrogate has 57 places to visit in our interactive Harrogate map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Harrogate, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Harrogate places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Harrogate & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 57 audio facts unique to Harrogate places in an interactive Harrogate map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Harrogate Places Map
57 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Harrogate historic spots	Harrogate tourist destinations	Harrogate plaques	Harrogate geographic features
Walkfo Harrogate tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Harrogate

  

Best Harrogate places to visit

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Harrogate has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Harrogate’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Harrogate’s information audio spots:

Grove House, Harrogate Grove House is a former inn, school and orphanage on Skipton Road, Harrogate in North Yorkshire. Built in 1745–54 as World’s End Inn, it was later greatly expanded as the home of the inventor Samson Fox. It was the first house in Yorkshire to have lighting by water gas.

Harrogate Theatre Harrogate Theatre is a Grade II listed performance hall and theatre. It is a full hemp house theatre that uses a theatrical rigging system to fly components like curtains, lights and scenery on and off the stage. The theatre does not have stage doors in the usual way.

Harrogate line The Harrogate line is a passenger rail line through parts of North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire area of northern England connecting Leeds to York. Service on the line is operated by Northern, with a few additional workings by London North Eastern Railway starting and terminating at Harrogate.

St Peter’s Church, Harrogate St Peter’s Church, Harrogate is a parish church in the Church of England. It is located in the city of Harrogates, North Yorkshire.

Harrogate Baptist Church Harrogate Baptist Church is a Grade II listed building. It is located on Victoria Avenue in Harrogates. The church was built in the 1930s and is now on the same street as a Baptist Church.

Stray FM Stray FM was a local radio station serving the western half of North Yorkshire, and sections of West Yorkshire, to the north of Leeds and Bradford. The original licence covered the towns of Harrogate and Ripon and the surrounding areas. From 1 February 2012 the station expanded to cover the Yorkshire Dales. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.

Wetherby Road Wetherby Road, known for sponsorship purposes as the EnviroVent Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Harrogate, England. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 people, and is situated on the A661 Wetby Road. It is mostly used for football matches, being the home ground of Harrogate Town A.F.C.

St Andrew’s Church, Starbeck St Andrew’s Church is in High Street, Starbeck, Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The current vicar is the Reverend Phil Carman.

Bilton Hall (North Yorkshire) Bilton Hall is a Grade II listed large country house near Harrogate, North Yorkshire. It was historically the home of the prominent Stockdale family, of which three Knaresborough MPs were members.

St Mark’s Church, Harrogate St. Mark’s Church, Harrogate is a Grade II listed building. It is a parish church in the Church of England located in the city.

Visit Harrogate plaques