Valley Gardens, Harrogate

Park in North Yorkshire, England

Valley Gardens

Location| Harrogate, North Yorkshire
OS grid| SE290547[1]
Coordinates| 53°59′24″N 1°33′04″W﻿ / ﻿53.990°N 1.551°W﻿ / 53.990; -1.551
Area| 17 acres (6.9 ha)
Established| 1887
Website| Friends website

Valley Gardens is a grade II listed park in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The park, which covers 17 acres (6.9 ha), was laid out in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria.

## History

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Due to the proliferation of mineral springs within Harrogate, large swathes of the town were protected from development under an Enclosure Act granted in 1770.[2] The park was laid out in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, and extended from Bogs Field in the south, to the pump house at what is now the northern end of the gardens.[3][4] Bogs Field is the location of the play park and tennis courts in the gardens.[5] Bogs Field is noted for having the largest cluster of mineral springs in England, with 36 wells bringing water that is either rich in sulphur of iron (chalybeate).[6] The mineral wells prompted the building of a hospital to cater for those who were thought could be cured by the waters. The first hospital opened in 1824, but was replaced by the Royal Bath Hospital in 1889. This closed in 1994 and has since been converted to private dwellings.[7][8]

In 1911, the first "provincial performance" (ie outside the major cities such as London, Birmingham or Glasgow) of Edward Elgar's second symphony was held in Valley Gardens. One of the walks in the park is named after the composer.[9] The Japanese Gardens were laid out in the 1920s, but by the turn of the 21st century, they were dilapidated. A lottery-funded project to renovate the garden was carried out in 2018.[10] In the late 20th century, with the traditional pastime of coming for the waters at Harrogate beginning to die off, the gardens were host to the Harrogate Spring Flower Show.[2]

In 1974, a long-distance footpath known as the Harrogate Link was opened. The path runs from the Royal Pump Museum in Harrogate, through Valley Gardens and Harlow Carr to meet up with the Dales Way at Ilkley.[11] At the southern end of the park, a wooded area known as The Pinewoods, forms part of the park and connects it with the RHS ground at Harlow Carr.[12]

Valley Gardens are now with the conservation of Harrogate, and are grade II listed with Historic England.[2][13]

### Attractions

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* Pitch and putt golf course[14]
* Model boat pond[15][16]
* Japanese Garden[10]
* New Zealand Garden[17]
* Play Park[18]
* Sun colonnade[19]
* Sun pavilion[20]
* Magnesia well pump rooms(now a cafe)[20]
* Tennis courts[15]
* Crazy golf course[15]
* Children's padding pool[15]

In October 2011, part of the play park was the subject of an arson attack. the wooden fortress, which cost £32,000 to install in 2009, was destroyed in the fire.[18]

The Pitch and put golf course is proposed to be replaced with a BMX pump track. The numbers using the pitch and put course has dwindled over the decade until 2023, and the council stated the BMX track would be a year-round attraction.[14] The proposal has been taken forward by North Yorkshire Council, who assumed control of the park from Harrogate Borough Council in April 2023. The pump track would cover an area of 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2), and cost around £2,000 to install by the council's in-house parks department.[21]

## References

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1. ^ "Valley Gardens, Harrogate | Yorkshire Gardens Trust". yorkshiregardenstrust.org.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
2. ^ a b c Historic England. "Valley Gardens (Grade II) (1001076)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
3. ^ Reid 2000, p. 10.
4. ^ Tuffrey, Peter (19 October 2021). "The rise of England's premier spa town". The Yorkshire Post. p. 18\. ISSN 0963-1496.
5. ^ "Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2024. "Use the slider on the bottom left (named "Change transparency of overlay") to toggle between old mapping and modern-day satellite imagery"
6. ^ Reid 2000, p. 6.
7. ^ Reid 2000, pp. 28–29.
8. ^ Neesam, Malcolm (2022). Wells & Swells, the golden age of Harrogate Spa, 1842-1923. Lancaster: Carnegie Publishing. p. 418\. ISBN 9781859362389.
9. ^ Bagshaw, Mike (2010). Slow North Yorkshire. Chalfont St Peter: Bradt. p. 115\. ISBN 9781841623238.
10. ^ a b "Grand unveiling of Harrogate's Japanese Garden". Harrogate Advertiser. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
11. ^ "Dales Way Link - Harrogate to Ilkley". ldwa.org.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
12. ^ HCACA 2010, p. 13.
13. ^ HCACA 2010, p. 12.
14. ^ a b "Bike 'pump track' plan for Harrogate Valley Gardens". BBC News. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
15. ^ a b c d "Valley Gardens - The Valley Gardens, Harrogate". visitharrogate.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
16. ^ HCACA 2010, p. 65.
17. ^ "The New Zealand Garden". iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
18. ^ a b "Harrogate Valley Gardens play area fire wreckage cleared". BBC News. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
19. ^ Reid 2000, p. 11.
20. ^ a b "Valley Gardens Harrogate". valleygardensharrogate.org. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
21. ^ Mitchinson, James, ed. (29 March 2024). "Plans to build cycle track are moving ahead". The Yorkshire Post. p. 3\. ISSN 0963-1496.

### Sources

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* Harrogate Conservation Area Character Appraisal (PDF). northyorks.gov.uk (Report). Harrogate District Council. 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
* Reid, Mark (2000). Harrogate Town Guide (Dalesman Town Guides). Clapham: Dalesman Publishing. ISBN 9781855681729.

## External links

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* Downloadable leaflet and map of the gardens hosted on the Friends of Valley Gardens webpage