Harrogate is a large, wealthy spa town
in the Harrogate district of North
Yorkshire in the Yorkshire and the
Humber region of England. The local
travel links are located less than a
mile from the town centre to Harrogate
railway station and 10 miles to Leeds
Bradford International Airport. Also,
the main road through the town is the
A61, connecting Harrogate to Leeds and
Ripon. The town has a population of
85,612 according to the 2001 Census.
The Yorkshire town of Harrogate is a
popular tourist destination, attracting
visitors with the spa waters, which
contain chalybeate, sulphur and saline
and the Harlow Carr Gardens. The town
originated in the 17th century, with
High Harrogate and Low Harrogate as two
separate settlements.
It lies close to Knaresborough and is in
the Nidd valley.
Places of interest
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.[4]
Restoration work was completed in 2007,
and the Hall was formally opened on
January 22, 2008, by HRH Prince
Charles.[5]
Harrogate is now one of Europe's largest
exhibition and conference centres
including the Harrogate International
Centre and has many guest houses, hotels
and restaurants catering for the regular
influx of visitors. The town also acts,
to some extent, as a dormitory town for
commuters working in the cities of Leeds
and Bradford.
Harrogate is very
prosperous and as such has some of the
highest property prices in England with
many £1 million+ properties in the town
and surrounding villages.
Bettys Tea Rooms are a regionally
renowned tearooms. They are owned by
Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate - the
same company that makes the more
nationally well-known Yorkshire Tea.
Bettys also has cafés in York (2
tearooms), Ilkley, and Northallerton,
and has recently (2005) opened a second
one in Harrogate at the Harlow Carr
Gardens. It famously has over fifty tea
pots located around the tea rooms.
Harrogate hosts the Great Yorkshire Show
annually.
