EARLY HARROGATE

Until the 17th century Harrogate was just a quiet hamlet. Then in the late 16th century a man named William Slingsby drank from a well. He had travelled to several spas and he realised the well water tasted like spa water. Slingsby discovered Tewit Well, which is a chalybeate well (one containing iron). People believed that drinking water from such a well would heal sicknesses. So Harrogate began to grow into a spa town.

During the 17th century Harrogate slowly grew. By the mid 17th century people bathed in a sulphur well (known as the stinking well) as well as drinking water from the chalybeate wells. Furthermore in the late 17th century the first inns were visitors could stay were built.

In the late 18th century much public land was enclosed (that is divided up between various people). 

HARROGATE IN THE 19th CENTURY

By 1800 Harrogate was really a large village but it grew rapidly in the 19th century. By 1831 it had a population of around 4,000. By the end of the century the population of Harrogate was around 25,000. Bath Hospital (later the Royal Bath Hospital) was built in 1826. The Royal Pump Room was erected in 1842.

HARROGATE IN THE 20th CENTURY

During the 20th century Harrogate continued to grow rapidly. In 1901 the population was 26,000. By 1951 the population of Harrogate had reached 50,000. The first council houses in Harrogate were built in the 1920s and 1930s. Many more council houses were built after 1945. Many private houses were also built.

Harrogate's spas continued to flourish until the 1960s. After 1949 the NHS sent people to the Royal Baths for a cure. However the NHS stopped funding the treatment in 1968. The Baths closed in 1969. The Royal Pump Room became a museum in 1953. Tewit Well was sealed in 1971 and Harrogate Conference Centre opened in 1982.

Today the population of Harrogate is 70,000.

A Hotel in Harrogate

Crown Place, Harrogate Tel: 01423 567755

After a multi million pound refurbishment programme, the Crown Hotel has become one of the premier venues in Harrogate for business and pleasure. The hotel has created a contemporary environment which complements its historic architecture and pays homage to its heritage as a great town centre property. 

Placed just a couple of minutes walk from the Harrogate International Centre, Turkish Baths, Betty's Tea Rooms and the picturesque town centre with its antique stores, Victorian arcades and boutique shops the Crown Hotel Harrogate is the perfect location for your business trip or weekend away.