The West Park Centre houses "The Harrogate Story," an exhibition about the history of the spa and what makes our town unique.
A visit is a great way to begin your time in Harrogate, helping you explore the town’s rich heritage and discover more about everything it has to offer.
Exhibition
The Harrogate Story has been curated by a small team of volunteers and is based largely on books published by the late Malcolm Neesam, widely recognised as one of the town’s leading historians.
A professionally produced series of displays begin by explaining how movement of the earth’s crust, over 60 million years ago, led to the geology that produced 88 unique mineral springs, many of them in the town’s Valley Gardens.
William Slingsby, a local man, discovered the first spring and recognised the curative properties of the spring water and so began the growth of Harrogate as a health resort.
Supplementing the history of the Spa are displays showing the Royal Hall – Harrogate’s “Glittering Palace of Gold” and displays prepared by local historian and author, Dr Paul Jennings, focusing on the social history of the town during the 1800’s and early 1900’s.
Video footage from Harrogate’s Spa heyday, narrated by Edward Fox OBE, a descendant of Alderman Sampson Fox, a major benefactor to the town, gives visitors a taste of how the wealthy spent their time.
Getting
Here
Address:
West Park Centre @ West Park United Reformed Church, Harrogate HG1 1EQ
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