A new Visitor Information Centre is to be officially launched on Tuesday, 23rd June, at Harrogate’s West Park Centre by Cllr Viv Poskitt, Mayor of Harrogate. The Centre aims to welcome some of the many sightseers, whether out-of-towners or locals, seeking information about this historic spa town.

Information available will range from heritage information, leaflets, maps and suggested walks to forthcoming local events.

This new information resource, which is run entirely by volunteers, is housed in the striking Grade II-listed United Reformed Church on the corner of Victoria Avenue and West Park and has been made possible as part of a successful bid by the West Park Centre to the Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund established by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The church itself has a long history, being part of the original Victoria Park development, welcoming visitors to the town. Today it is both an active church and a community centre and hosts a fascinating exhibition about the history of Harrogate alongside numerous cultural and community events.

Harrogate’s fame is built on the discovery from 1571 onwards of multiple extraordinary mineral springs, believed to have numerous different healing properties. Over the following centuries Harrogate developed into a leading and elegant international spa resort, frequented by the wealthy, the famous and the aristocracy.

Notable buildings dating back to the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras include Hales Bar, the oldest pub in Harrogate, dating back to the mid -18th century, the early 19th-century Promenade Rooms (today the Mercer Art Gallery), the Royal Pump Room, built over the odorous Old Sulphur Well, the Royal Baths and Turkish Baths and later the Kursaal or Royal Hall.

Famous visitors over the years included a young Lord Byron, Charles Dickens (who mocked the town’s spa culture), Oscar Wilde (who enjoyed The Season more than once), Edward Elgar, (whose daily constitutional walk in Valley Gardens is commemorated by The Elgar Walk); and, of course, Agatha Christie, who sought refuge in the Old Swan in 1926 under an alias.

European links and especially Russian connections were strong. Princess Alix of Hesse, later Tsarina Alexandra of Russia, came to Harrogate to undergo a cure. The Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna (born Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark and a first cousin of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and of King George V of the United Kingdom) lived in Harrogate during WWI and not only funded but also worked as a nurse in three local military hospitals.

Today the town is renowned for its history and heritage – it has over 100 Grade II-listed buildings – and for its floral displays, the famous Stray and, of course, Valley Gardens and RHS Garden Harlow Carr. Harrogate’s notable early Georgian and Regency as well as significant Victorian architecture is imposing, and the many grand old hotels retain their distinctive charm despite renovation to meet modern standards.

Small wonder this beautiful town, highlighted as one of the happiest places to live in the UK, is going from strength to strength.

www.westparkcentre.org.uk