23 Facts About Harrogate

Harrogate is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England.

Harrogate'storically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters and RHS Harlow Carr gardens.

Harrogate is connected to Wetherby and the A1 by the A661, while the A658 from Bradford forms a bypass around the south of the town.

Name Harrogate is first attested in the 1330s as Harwegate, Harougat and Harrowgate.

In medieval times Harrogate was a place on the borders of the township of Bilton with Harrogate in the ancient Parish of Knaresborough, and the parish of Pannal, known as Beckwith with Rossett.

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Harrogate's development is owed to the discovery of its chalybeate and sulphur rich spring water from the 16th century.

The first mineral spring was discovered in 1571 by William Slingsby who found that water from the Tewit Well in High Harrogate possessed similar properties to that from springs in the Belgian town of Spa, which gave its name to spa towns.

The municipal borough was abolished in 1974, when Harrogate was transferred from the West Riding to North Yorkshire and became part of the wider Borough of Harrogate.

Harrogate then became an unparished area, with no local government of its own.

Harrogate was elected in 2010, ousting the Liberal Democrats who had won the seat at the previous three general elections.

Harrogate is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, with the Vale of York to the east and the upland Yorkshire Dales to the west and north-west.

The many business visitors to Harrogate sustain a number of large hotels, some originally built for visitors to the Spa.

The only Grade I listed building in Harrogate is St Wilfrid, Duchy Road, which was designed by the architect Temple Lushington Moore and is often considered to be his masterpiece.

RHS Harlow Carr gardens, on the western edge of Harrogate, are award-winning themed gardens and are the Royal Horticultural Society's main presence and representative in the North of England.

Crescent Gardens is a small open area in central Harrogate surrounded by some of the town's main tourist attractions including the Royal Pump Room, Royal Baths and Royal Hall, as well as the Harrogate Council Offices.

Harrogate won the 2003 and 2016 Britain in Bloom in the category of 'Large Town' and the European Entente Florale in 2004 reprising its win in the first Entente Florale in 1977.

Harrogate was a gold medal winner of Europe in Bloom in 2004.

On 5 July 2014, Harrogate served as the finish line of the first stage of the Tour de France.

Harrogate RUFC is a North Premier team and formerly based at The County Ground, Claro Road but relocated to Rudding Lane to the South side of the town.

Harrogate District Swimming Club is an amateur level swimming club that has had teams compete at National level.

In 2018, all bus routes which operated within Harrogate and did not venture to other towns became served by electric buses.

Harrogate has a non-civilian airport of its own at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, which carries the IATA code HRT for Harrogate.

In 2012, Harrogate had the highest concentration of drink-drivers in the UK.