80-465: Harrogate ( / ˈ h ær ə ɡ ə t , - ɡ eɪ t , - ɡ ɪ t / HARR -ə-gət, -gayt, -ghit ) is a spa town in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. Historically 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 . 13 miles (21 km) away from the town centre
160-483: A Liberal Democrat . He was elected in 2024, ousting the Conservative who had won the seat at the previous general election. The town is governed by North Yorkshire Council . Its predecessor, Harrogate Borough Council , was replaced on 1 April 2023. It has had a Conservative majority since the 2010 election . The Borough of Harrogate is twinned with: The town has good commuter services for people who work in
240-581: A Royal Air Force supply depot and logistics centre on St George's Road in the south-west of the town, but this closed down in 1994. During the Second World War , RAF Harrogate was used as a training establishment for medical staff and recruit training for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force . There are many fine examples of architecture about the town. The only Grade I listed building in Harrogate
320-479: A backronym , an a posteriori fabrication of a fictitious acronym. The term Spa has since become eponymous with any place having a natural water source that is believed to possess special health-giving properties, known as a spa . As the site of cold springs with alleged healing properties, Spa has been frequented as a "water-taking" place since classical antiquity . Pliny the Elder (died 79 CE) noted, "There
400-528: A large part of the civil parish of Pannal, including the village of Pannal, in 1938. 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. The MP for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency is Tom Gordon ,
480-581: A new thermal center, Thermoludism, opened on the Annette and Lubin hill with panoramic views of the city. It is directly linked by funicular to the heart of the city and a new luxury hotel. In 2007, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit completely renewed its infrastructure to comply with the best international standards, allowing it to continue to host the annual Belgian Formula One Grand Prix 1, in addition to many other annual sporting events. Spa
560-406: A number of springs were discovered. The Valley Gardens (locals use the definite article) has an ice-cream parlour, children's play area with outdoor paddling pool, a skate park, frisbee golf, crazy golf and mini golf. The Sun Pavilion at the northern edge of the park can be privately hired for weddings. Tennis courts and a bowling green are in the west of the park. The Friends Of Valley Gardens group
640-414: A plant of suitable size to supply the whole town. When Parliament Street became the world's first route to be lit by water-gas, newspapers commented: "Samson Fox has captured the sunlight for Harrogate." After donating the town's first fire engine, and building the town's theatre, he was elected mayor for three successive years (1890–92), a record never equalled since. In 1893 Harrogate doctor George Oliver
720-413: A population of 89,060, while the figure for the much wider Borough of Harrogate , comprising Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, as well as a number of smaller settlements and a large rural area, was 157,869. The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus , which means "a citadel famous for its springs". The name Harrogate is first attested in the 1330s as Harwegate , Harougat and Harrowgate . The origin of
800-732: A spa town. Spa towns in South Africa include: Spa towns in Spain include: Taiwan is home to a number of towns and cities with tourism infrastructure centered on hot springs. These include: There are several spa towns in Turkey . The most famous of these is Pamukkale, Denizli where the Pamukkale thermal springs are located. Some but not all UK spa towns contain "Spa", "Wells", or "Bath" in their names, e.g., Matlock Bath . Some towns are designated Spa Heritage Towns. Two out of four of
880-467: Is St Wilfrid, Duchy Road , which was designed by the architect Temple Lushington Moore and is often considered to be his masterpiece. In Station Parade stands the Jubilee Memorial , commemorating Queen Victoria 's 1887 golden jubilee. An imposing cenotaph is an important landmark in the centre of the town. Bettys are tea rooms established in 1919 owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate –
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#1732775379848960-564: Is a concentration of chain restaurants on John Street and Albert Street. The conference and exhibition industry is the focus of the town's business, with Harrogate International Centre the third largest fully integrated conference and exhibition centre in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe. Harrogate draws numerous visitors because of its conference facilities. In 2016 such events alone attracted 300,000 visitors to Harrogate. The convention centre
1040-568: Is a famous spring in Tungri , a state of Gaul, whose water, sparkling with bubbles, has a ferruginous taste that is only noticeable when the drink is finished. This water purges the body, cures third-grade fevers and dispels calculous affections. The same water, put on the fire, becomes cloudy and eventually turns red." (C lib. XXXI VIII) The spa town grew in the Middle Ages , in the oldest iron and steel centre of Liège Province . The ban Spa
1120-753: 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, Royal Hall and the Harrogate Council Offices ; Hall M of the Harrogate International Centre fronts onto Crescent Gardens. The Royal Hall theatre, a Grade II listed building designed by Frank Matcham . As the only surviving Kursaal in Britain, the Royal Hall
1200-401: Is a stylized pouhon housed in a neoclassical monument to the covering surrounded by a protective wall opened its facade. The monument is topped by a blue banner bearing the "Spa-Pouhon" inscriptions. "Argent masonry money pouhon of sand topped with gold-SPA Pouhon inscriptions on a blue background." The city colours are yellow and blue. The stylized pouhon is inspired by the monument that housed
1280-451: Is also home to Bombed Out records, an independent record label, who has signed groups such as Fig 4.0 . On 5 July 2014, Harrogate served as the finish line of the first stage of the Tour de France . The event attracted record crowds to the town centre and was televised to a global audience. British cyclist Mark Cavendish was forced to drop out of the race, when he crashed a few metres from
1360-545: Is an important national heritage building. Restoration work was completed in 2007, and the hall was reopened on 22 January 2008, by the Prince of Wales . The Royal Pump Room , just off the gardens, houses Europe's strongest sulphur well, it is now a museum showcasing the town's spa history. The Valley Gardens , in Low Harrogate, is the town's main park and covers much of the area originally known as 'Bogs Field', where
1440-412: Is classified as warm and temperate. There is significant rainfall throughout the year in Harrogate. Even the driest month still has a lot of rainfall. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Cfb. The average annual temperature in Harrogate is 8.9 °C (48 °F). In a year, the average rainfall is 29 inches (742 mm). Harrogate has a strong and varied economy. The town's main shopping district
1520-517: Is exported worldwide. The motor-racing Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps , just south of the nearby village of Francorchamps , also hosts the annual Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and various endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Spa . The world's first beauty pageant, the Concours de Beauté, was held in Spa on 19 September 1888. The town also hosted the Tour de France on 5 July 2010, when stage 2 of
1600-554: Is focused on Cambridge Street, Oxford Street, Beulah Street and James Street where most of the high street shops can be found. There is a wide range of boutique and designer shopping on Parliament Street and in the Montpellier Quarter, as well as independent shopping around Commercial Street. Eating out is popular in Harrogate, and the town is well served by restaurants. Parliament Street and Cheltenham Parade are lined with many independent and chain restaurants, while there
1680-510: Is in a valley in the Ardennes mountains 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Liège and 45 km (28 mi) south-west of Aachen . In 2006, Spa had a population of 10,543 and an area of 39.85 km (15.39 sq mi), giving a population density of 265/km (690/sq mi). Spa is one of Belgium's most popular tourist destinations, being renowned for its natural mineral springs , and production of " Spa " mineral water , which
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#17327753798481760-686: Is known for its more than 500 mineral springs, including the hottest spring in the Balkans at Sapareva Banya - 103 °C. Other famous spa towns include Sandanski , Hisarya , Bankya , Devin , Kyustendil , Varshets , Velingrad . In Bulgarian , the word for a spa is баня (transliterated banya ). Harrison Hot Springs is one of the oldest among 18 in British Columbia; there are also two in Alberta and one in Ontario. In Croatia ,
1840-690: Is located on the borders of the Ardennes massif, at the gateway to the High Fens in the Wayai valley. The city center is surrounded by three wooded hills including Annette and Lubin to the north. The town borders the rural municipalities of Theux , Jalhay , Stavelot and Stoumont in the district of Verviers in the province of Liège . The municipal area is 39.89 km (24.79 mi); including 7.9 km (4.9 mi) of built and related land, 5.6 km (3.5 mi) of agricultural land and 23.6 km (14.7 mi) of forests and wooded land. Many of
1920-695: Is recognised as the North of England's leading arts festival; it incorporates a number of festivals within the portfolio including the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival & Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award , Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival, Harrogate Music Festival and a number of year-round events. The town hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 in
2000-638: Is rich in thermal waters with health benefits, and many spa towns are popular tourist destinations. Budapest has several spas , including Turkish style spas dating back to the 16th century. Eger also has a Turkish spa. Other famous spas include the ones at Hévíz , Harkány , Bük , Hajdúszoboszló , Gyula , Bogács , Bükkszék , Zalakaros , the Cave Bath at Miskolctapolca and the Zsóry-fürdő at Mezőkövesd . In Italy , spa towns, called città termale (from Latin thermae ), are very numerous all over
2080-896: 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. It has a dry and mild climate, typical of places in the rain shadow of the Pennines . It is on the A59 from Skipton to York. At an altitude of between 100 and 200 metres (330 and 660 ft), Harrogate is higher than many English settlements. It has an average minimum temperature in January of slightly below 1 °C (34 °F) and an average maximum in July and August of 21 °C (70 °F). Harrogate's climate
2160-645: Is the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Nidderdale AONB . Harrogate grew out of two smaller settlements, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, in the 17th century. For three consecutive years (2013–2015), polls voted the town as "the happiest place to live" in Britain. Harrogate spa water contains iron , sulphur and common salt . The town became known as 'The English Spa' in the Georgian era , after its waters were discovered in
2240-514: Is the largest spa town in Germany. The most popular spa towns in Greece are Aidipsos , Agkistro, Serres , Loutraki , Kamena Vourla , Kimolos , Loutra Kyllinis , Sidirokastro, Serres , Lakkos Milos , Loutrochori, Aridaia, Pella (Pozar) In Hungary , the word fürdő or the more archaic füred ("bath"), fürdőváros ("spa town") or fürdőhely ("bathing place") implies a spa town. Hungary
2320-599: Is to be the home of Yorkshire Women cricket team . Until 1995, the town hosted one Yorkshire county game per year at St George's Road cricket ground. Since 2022, the ground has been sponsored by Kirbys Solicitors. In 2008, a fire destroyed the historic old pavilion at the ground, but it has since been re-built with a modern pavilion, bar, function room and changing rooms. Harrogate Cricket Club has 4 Saturday teams: Bilton Cricket Club, off Bilton Lane, provides opportunities for players of all ages to play in local league cricket; they beat Harrogate Cricket Club at St George's Road in
2400-553: The Black Sheep Trophy of 2006. Spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring ). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. He became interested in the curative properties of the hot mineral waters there and in 1676 wrote A discourse of Bathe, and
2480-623: The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), the Milk Marketing Board and ICI who occupied offices and laboratories at Hornbeam Park where Crimplene was invented in the 1950s and named after the nearby Crimple Valley and beck. In 2007, two metal detectorists found the Harrogate hoard , a 10th-century Viking treasure hoard , near Harrogate. The hoard contains almost 700 coins and other items from as far away as Afghanistan . The hoard
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2560-663: The Central Highlands of Victoria . Most are in and around Daylesford and Hepburn Springs . Daylesford and Hepburn Springs call themselves "Spa Country" and the "Spa Centre of Australia". In Queensland , many towns have mineral springs created by artesian bores into the Great Artesian Basin , often the only or primary water supply to the towns. Some of these towns had periods of popularity as spa towns, including Ararmac , Barcaldine , Dalby , Helidon , Innot Hot Springs , and Muckadilla , mostly in
2640-591: The City of Leeds , City of Bradford , York and North Yorkshire in general. Harrogate is prosperous and has some of the highest property prices in England, with many properties in the town and surrounding villages valued at £ 1 million or more, it is generally considered the most expensive place to live in the North of England. Fulwith Mill Lane in Harrogate is the most expensive street in Yorkshire. Harrogate
2720-700: The Duchy of Lancaster became the principal landowner in Harrogate. 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 medicinal properties of
2800-599: The English Football League , which came via victory in the 2019–20 National League Play-offs. They have a historical rivalry with Harrogate Railway Athletic F.C. , of the Northern Counties East Football League , located at Station View. Harrogate RUFC is a North Premier team and formerly based at The County Ground, on Claro Road, but relocated to Rudding Lane on the south side of the town. Harrogate Cricket Club
2880-614: The Harrogate International Centre . 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. In 2005, a Channel 4 TV show listed Harrogate as the UK's third best place to live; in 2006, it came fourth in
2960-468: The Spa-Francorchamps race track is known for. The elevation also results in cooler summers and frequent winter frost along with snowfall. Spa is quite gloomy, although averaging both a drier and sunnier climate than nearby locations Stavelot and Malmedy that are also surrounding the race track. Spa has two railway stations: Spa and Spa-Géronstère , where local trains of SNCB/NMBS link
3040-429: The 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries its ' chalybeate ' waters (containing iron) were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town. Harrogate railway station and Harrogate bus station in the town centre provide transport connections. Leeds Bradford Airport is 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Harrogate. The main roads through
3120-846: The 17th century (the Queen's Head , the Granby , the Dragon and the World's End ). In Low Harrogate, the Crown Hotel was open by the mid-18th century, and possibly earlier. In accordance with the Forest of Knaresborough Inclosure Act 1770 ( 10 Geo. 3 . c. 94 ), promoted by the Duchy of Lancaster, the Royal Forest of Knaresborough was enclosed. The enclosure award of 1778 clarified ownership of land in
3200-420: The English towns granted the title "Royal", Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Tunbridge Wells , are spa towns. Terms used in various countries: Spa, Belgium Spa ( French pronunciation: [spa] ; Walloon : Spå ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia in the province of Liège , Belgium , whose name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative properties . It
3280-623: The Great Yorkshire Showground and Pavilions of Harrogate, which are major conference destinations. The Great Yorkshire Showground is the hub of the regional agricultural industry, hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The Great Yorkshire Show , Countryside Live and the twice yearly Harrogate Flower Shows take place there annually. The many business visitors to Harrogate sustain a number of large hotels, some originally built for visitors to
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3360-456: The Harrogate area. Under the award, 200 acres (81 ha) of land, which included the springs known at that time, were reserved as a public common, The Stray , which has remained public open space. The Enclosure Award facilitated development around the Stray. During the 19th century, the area between High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, which until then had remained separate communities a mile apart,
3440-551: The Helidon Spa falling into disuse by 1994. Many towns in Queensland continue to provide bathing facilities fed by hot springs, but these are promoted as relaxing holiday activities rather than as medical treatments. Brazil has a growing number of spa towns. The traditional ones are: Águas de Lindoia , Serra Negra , Águas de São Pedro , Caxambu , Poços de Caldas , Caldas Novas , Araxá , and São Lourenço . Bulgaria
3520-731: The Pouhon Peter the Great until 1820. Under the Ancien Régime , the shield was commonly used in spa towns. It was customary for the spa guests to leave their arms at the hotel where he had stayed in recognition of the benefits of the waters. At Spa, many hotels have inscriptions like "In the Arms of England", "the Duke of Orleans ," "To the King of Poland ", etc. The 1975 film Barry Lyndon
3600-554: The Spa. Harrogate is the home of Yorkshire Tea , exported by Taylors of Harrogate , as well as internationally exported Harrogate Spring Water . The town also exports Farrah's Toffee , Harrogate Blue cheese. The following companies are either headquartered or have significant bases in Harrogate. Two military installations are located to the west of Harrogate, the Army Foundation College and RAF Menwith Hill , an electronic monitoring station. There used to be
3680-655: The Thermal Baths (1868), the Pouhon Peter the Great (1880), and the Leopold II Gallery (1880) date from this period. During World War I , Spa operated as an important German convalescent hospital town between 1914 and 1917. In 1918, the German Army established its principal headquarters in Spa, and from there the delegates set out for the French lines to meet Marshal Foch and to sue for peace in
3760-603: The Victorian period, there was a racecourse for horses there. 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. The town has several smaller parks and gardens, including The Softpot Garden at Grove House, the Jubilee Gardens and Victoria Gardens on
3840-418: The affix). Portugal is well known by famous spa towns throughout of the country. Due to its high quality, as well as the landscape where are located, the most important ones are: In Romania , the word Băile implies a spa town. The most famous spa towns in Romania are Băile Herculane , Băile Felix , Mangalia , Covasna , Călimănești & Borsec . Serbia is known for its many spa cities. Some of
3920-453: The ancient parish of Knaresborough , and the parish of Pannal , also known as Beckwith with Rossett. The part within the township of Bilton developed into the community of High Harrogate, and the part within Pannal developed into the community of Low Harrogate. Both communities were within the Royal Forest of Knaresborough . In 1372 King Edward III granted the Royal Forest to his son John, Duke of Lancaster (also known as John of Gaunt), and
4000-684: The best known springs are the Vrnjačka Banja , Bukovička Banja , Vrujci , Sokobanja and Niška Banja . The hottest spring in Serbia is at Vranjska Banja (96°C) In Serbia, the word Banja implies a spa town. Slovakia is well known by its spa towns. The most famous is the city of Piešťany in Trnava Region . Other notable spa towns in Slovakia include: Spa towns in Slovenia include Rogaška Slatina , Radenci , Čatež ob Savi , Dobrna , Dolenjske Toplice, Šmarješke Toplice, Moravske Toplice , Rimske Toplice , Laško and Topolšica . They offer accommodation in hotels, apartments, bungalows, and camp sites. The Slovenian words terme or toplice imply
4080-442: The city with Theux , Verviers and Aachen . The railway line used to extend further south towards Trois-Ponts , Vielsalm and Luxembourg . Local and regional bus services in Spa are provided by the Walloon transport company TEC . Spa is located on the crosspoint of national roads N62, N629 and N686. The nearest motorway is the A27 ( E42 ), where a junction for Spa is located in the commune of Jalhay . The coat of arms for Spa
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#17327753798484160-440: The consultations leading up to the Armistice that ended the First World War. The general headquarters of Kaiser Wilhelm II were, in 1918, the last place where he resided before his abdication due to the German surrender. In July 1920, the town hosted the Spa Conference , a meeting of the Supreme Council , which dealt with the war reparations owed by the defeated Reich to the Allies . The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
4240-463: The country because of the intense geological activity of the territory. These places were known and used since the Roman age. Most spa towns in Poland are located in the Lesser Poland and Lower Silesian Voivodeships. Some of them have an affix " Zdrój " in their name (written with hyphen or separately), meaning "water spring", to denote their spa status, but this is not a general rule (e.g. Ciechocinek and Inowrocław are spa towns, but do not use
4320-422: The eastern side of central Harrogate. On 11 January 1900, Harrogate Grand Opera House, now Harrogate Theatre, opened with a charity gala in aid of British soldiers fighting the Boer War in South Africa; this was followed, on 13 January 1900, by J Tully's pantomime Dick Whittington . In 1966, the Harrogate Festival of Arts & Science was established, now known as the Harrogate International Festivals , and
4400-411: The elite as customers. These were decades of social tourism as well, with an increasingly large number of Flemish and Dutch customers, while the Walloons went en masse to the Belgian coast in Flanders. Relaxation tourism replaced the thermal aspect of Spa. The 1980s and 1990s heralded the start of a renewal of the infrastructure and influence of Spa. On 17 May 1983, to mark the 400th anniversary of
4480-424: The export of Spa waters, HM King Baudouin visited the new facilities of the Spa Monopole SA, the Henrijean Hydrology Institute and the Thermal Establishment. In 1994, a new French song festival started: Les Francofolies de Spa . In 1997, the area of Spa-Bérinzenne opened the Regional Center for Initiation to the Environment, one of whose specialties is water. The old Thermal Baths were closed in 2004. In 2005,
4560-481: The famous mineral springs in Spa are located on a hillside south of the town. In total, there are more than 300 cold mineral springs in Spa and its surroundings, classified into two types: light mineral waters and natural sparkling waters (called 'pouhons' locally). The light mineral waters come from recent rainfall on the Malchamps Moor, roughly 4 km (2.5 mi) south-west of the town and are filtered through layers of peat , quartz , and phyllite . In contrast,
4640-447: The finish line and suffered a dislocated shoulder. The town has since been the focal point for finishing stages of the Tour de Yorkshire in 2017. Each event of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships finished in the town, although the entire historic county of Yorkshire was the official host. Harrogate Town AFC play at Wetherby Road Stadium . The club competes in League Two , the fourth tier of English football, following promotion to
4720-443: The historic 1566 " Compromise of Nobles ". In 1654, the stay of the exiled pretender to the English throne, Prince Charles , brought even greater fame to Spa. From 1699, a postal system was set up between Spa and the outside world. Since the 18th century, casinos have been located in Spa. The town continued to grow as a fashionable resort in the 19th century, and was extended during the reign of King Leopold II . Buildings such as
4800-404: The hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water . This brought the purported health-giving properties of the waters to the attention of the aristocracy, who started to partake in them soon after. The term spa is used for towns or resorts offering hydrotherapy , which can include cold water or mineral water treatments and geothermal baths. There are mineral springs in
4880-448: The late 1800s and early 1900s when mineral spas were believed to cure various medical conditions. However, the remote locations of most of these towns made them expensive to visit and only small-scale spa facilities developed there. Helidon, a day trip from Brisbane by car, was more successful, particularly with growing owernship of cars after World War II . However, concerns about radioactivity and bacterial contamination resulted in
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#17327753798484960-428: The name is uncertain. It may derive from Old Norse hǫrgr 'a heap of stones, cairn' + gata 'street', in which case the name presumably meant 'road to the cairn'. Another possibility is that the name means "the way to Harlow". The form Harlowgate is known from 1518, and apparently in the court rolls of Edward II . In medieval times Harrogate was a place on the boundary of the township of Bilton with Harrogate in
5040-401: The pouhon waters come from rainfall that may be decades old, having percolated through calcareous rocks hundreds of meters underground. Spa has an oceanic climate that is made more continental by its higher elevation and inland position compared to other Belgian climates at lower level or closer to the sea. Spa has a relatively high precipitation year-round, with tricky weather something that
5120-534: The race ended there. In 2021, Spa became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site the Great Spa Towns of Europe , for its famous mineral springs and architectural testimony to the rise of European bathing culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the various hypotheses put forward as to the etymological origin of the name Spa is that of "gushing spring", from the Latin sparsa meaning "scattered" and "gushing", past participle of spargere ("scatter", "sprinkle" or "moisten"). Another connects
5200-425: The same company that markets Yorkshire Tea . Bettys has a second tea room at the RHS Harlow Carr Gardens. The Mercer Art Gallery is home to Harrogate district's art collection which consists of some 2,000 works of art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by William Powell Frith , Atkinson Grimshaw , Sir Edward Burne-Jones , Dame Laura Knight and Alan Davie . Crescent Gardens
5280-445: The same league, where the programme claimed that it placed lower due to "a slight dip in exam results", although presenter Phil Spencer noted that it was his personal favourite. Harrogate has two orchestras: Harrogate Symphony Orchestra and Harrogate Philharmonic Orchestra. The town is also home to an underground music scene that has produced heavy metal and punk rock groups including Workshed , Acid Reign and Blood Youth . It
5360-409: The town are the A61 , connecting Harrogate to Leeds and Ripon , and the A59 , connecting the town to York and Skipton . Harrogate is also connected to Wetherby and the A1(M) by the A661 , while the A658 from Bradford forms a bypass around the south of the town. Harrogate had a population of 73,576 at the 2011 UK census ; the built-up area comprising Harrogate and nearby Knaresborough had
5440-420: The value of the Spa water. In 1559, Gilbert Lymborh wrote of "acid fountains of the Ardennes forest and primarily those located in Spa". It was translated into Latin , Italian and Spanish. In July 1565, the gentry of the provinces met in Spa under the pretext of taking the waters . At the hotel "Aux Armes d’Angleterre", those present agreed to oppose the edicts of Philip II as austere and intolerant; this led to
5520-400: The waters were publicised by Edmund Deane ; his book, Spadacrene Anglica, or the English Spa Fountain was published in 1626. In the 17th and 18th centuries further chalybeate springs were discovered in High Harrogate, and both chalybeate and sulphur springs were found in Low Harrogate. The two communities attracted many visitors. A number of inns were opened for visitors in High Harrogate in
5600-739: The word Toplice implies a spa town. The most famous spa towns in Croatia are Daruvar , Šibenik and Sisak . In Czech , the word Lázně implies a spa town. The most famous spa towns in Czech Republic are the West Bohemian Spa Triangle of Karlovy Vary , Františkovy Lázně and Mariánské Lázně , listed on UNESCO World Heritage Site . Other important spas are Luhačovice , Teplice , Jáchymov , Konstantinovy Lázně , Jeseník , Třeboň , Poděbrady , Bechyně or Velké Losiny . Traditionally, Hanko , Rauma and Kalajoki have been considered spa towns. Today there are more than 50 spas ( kylpylä ) in Finland; some towns known for their spa centers include Ikaalinen , Naantali and Imatra . In France ,
5680-409: The word to the meaning of "free space", from the Walloon spâ and from the Latin spatia , plural of spatium . The place has been known since Roman times , when the location was called Aquae Spadanae . For this reason, the city's name is sometimes presented as the acronym of various Latin phrases, such as salus per aquam or sanitas per aquam , meaning "health through water"; it is in reality
5760-950: The words bains , thermes and eaux in city names often imply a spa town. There are more than 50 spa towns in France, including Vichy , Aix-les-Bains , Bagnoles-de-l'Orne , Dax , and Enghien-les-Bains . Borjomi is one such example in south Georgia. In Germany , the word Bad implies a spa town. Among the many famous spa towns in Germany are Bad Aachen , Baden-Baden , Bad Brückenau , Bad Ems , Bad Homburg , Bad Honnef , Bad Kissingen , Bad Kreuznach , Bad Mergentheim , Bad Muskau , Bad Oeynhausen , Bad Pyrmont , Bad Reichenhall , Bad Saarow , Bad Schandau , Bad Schönborn , Bad Segeberg , Bad Soden , Bad Tölz , Bad Wildbad , Bad Wimpfen , Bad Wildstein , Berchtesgaden , Binz , Freudenstadt , Heiligendamm , Heringsdorf , Kampen , Königstein , Radebeul , Schwangau , St. Blasien , Titisee , Tegernsee , Travemünde and Zingst . Wiesbaden
5840-495: Was built in 1842. The site of Tewit Well is marked by a dome on the Stray. Other wells can be found in the Valley Gardens and Royal Pump Room museum. In 1870, engineering inventor Samson Fox perfected the process of creating water gas , in the basement laboratory of Grove House . After constructing a trial plant at his home on Skipton Road, making it the first house in Yorkshire to have gas lighting and heating; he built
5920-407: Was created around 1335 and included two urban concentrations: vilhe of Creppe and vilhe Spas, 2 km (1.2 mi) away. Prior to the exploitation of mineral water, the steel industry developed communication lines, which made it possible to develop the spa town. As early as 1547, Agustino, physician to the King of England, Henry VIII , stayed in Spa and helped give knowledge to the world of
6000-544: Was described by the British Museum as the most important find of its type in Britain for 150 years. In 1884 the Municipal Borough of Harrogate was created, taking High Harrogate from the civil parish of Bilton with Harrogate and Low Harrogate from the civil parish of Pannal. The borough absorbed neighbouring areas in subsequent years, including the whole of the civil parishes of Bilton and Starbeck, and
6080-400: Was developed in 2020 to be used as a Nightingale Hospital . However, whilst it has been used in an NHS capacity, it has not treated any Coronavirus patients (as of late January 2021) because the conventional hospitals had not run out of capacity. It brings in over £150 million to the local economy every year and attracts in excess of 350,000 business visitors annually. The town is home to
6160-570: Was developed, and what is now the central area of Harrogate was built on high ground overlooking Low Harrogate. An area to the north of the developing town was reserved to the Duchy of Lancaster, and was developed for residential building. To provide entertainment for the increasing numbers of visitors the Georgian Theatre was built in 1788. Bath Hospital (later the Royal Bath Hospital) was built in 1826. The Royal Pump Room
6240-673: Was established in 1921, in the vicinity of Spa. Despite its name, the racetrack has never been located within Spa: it is instead in the nearby town of Stavelot . World War II saw Spa reoccupied by the Germans, but the town escaped the Battle of the Bulge in 1945 that stopped, luckily for Spa, right at its gates. The Marshall Plan helped Belgium to recover quickly. In the 1950s and 1960s, mass tourism gradually developed, diminishing Spa's reliance on
6320-453: Was formed in 2009 to support the park. It works in partnership with Harrogate Borough Council to guide the park's development. The Stray is an area of open parkland in the centre of the town. It was created in 1778 to link most of Harrogate's springs in one protected area by an act of Parliament which fixed its area as 200 acres (81 ha ), and even now when part is removed, e.g. due to road widening, it must be replaced elsewhere. During
6400-468: Was the first to observe the effect of adrenaline on the circulation. Like many spa town all over Europe, Harrogate's popularity declined after the First World War . During the Second World War , Harrogate's large hotels accommodated government offices evacuated from London, paving the way for the town to become a commercial, conference, and exhibition centre. Former employers in the town were
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