English Courses in Harrogate
Overview
The Harrogate name can be found as far back as 1332, according to surviving documentary evidence. By 1399, Harrogate became Royal property, when the possessions of the Duchy of Lancaster merged with the English Royal Crown.
Harrogate sprang from two hamlets, only known for their relation to the historic town of Knaresborough. William Slingsby discovered the first Harrogate mineral well in 1571. Believing it to possess the same qualities as spa water, Tewit Well was likened to Belgium spa waters and was said to have health properties. Dr Bright dubbed Harrogate “The English Spa” in 1596.
By 1660, the town of Harrogate was expanding rapidly. Public bathing houses soon sprang up around the town. Doctors wrote about Harrogate waters and their health benefits, driving more people to seek medical cures in the town. People came from far and wide to bathe and drink the waters.
Already well-established as a spa town, The Enclosure Act for the Forest of Knaresborough saw the protection of 200 acres of land, including the springs and The Stray parkland. Visitors came for the waters and enjoyed countless walks through the parks, which was a breath of fresh air compared to inner city smog.
Between 1830 and 1841, local businessmen and hoteliers tried to profit from the wells by siphoning the precious waters into their own wells for visitors. As a result of this vandalism, locals petitioned for an Act of Parliament to protect the wells that were so instrumental to the town’s survival.
In 1897, The Royal Baths were opened to offer spa treatments and hydrotherapy to visitors. Today, the restored Turkish Baths is all that is left of the working spa. Many similar institutions followed, but as 1914 brought the First World War, a decline in spa treatments caused many to suffer.
By the 1940s, Harrogate had reinvented itself as a conference town. The Old Swan Hotel secured the International Toy Fair for the town in the 1960’s, cementing Harrogate as a place for business and congregation. Today, the town hosts many internationally renowned fairs and meetings at the International Conference Centre.
Language Schools and Camps in this Destination
Images of Harrogate, United Kingdom
Things to Do and See During a Vacation Study
Food and Drink
Fabulous eateries include award-winning restaurants and cosmopolitan bars and cafés, all of which offer tempting food from around the world. Harrogate has some fantastic restaurants that use fresh, locally sourced produce, and visitors should look out for Yorkshire puddings and an array of Yorkshire ale produced by local breweries. Harrogate is also famed for its quaint tearooms. For the ultimate afternoon tea experience, the world famous Betty’s Tea Rooms has fabulous cakes, freshly baked bread, delicious chocolates, and teas and coffees.
Shopping
Shopping in Harrogate is a real pleasure. It offers the very best in quality shopping, and has excellent boutiques and well-known high street shops that carry a range of designer clothes, shoes and accessories. The town center features many independent retailers in the Westminster Arcade and the Victoria Shopping Centre that are unique to Harrogate. The Montpellier Quarter is one of Harrogate’s best kept secrets. There are a number of exclusive shops, restaurants and art galleries set among pretty cobbled streets. Farrah’s of Harrogate, established in 1840, is famous for its Harrogate toffee. Today they offer far more than that, including chocolates, preserves and hampers.
Antique bargain hunters can visit a fair or one of the many antique shops in the center of Harrogate. The only thing a visitor has to worry about is whether there is enough room in the suitcase to bring everything back!
Entertainment
For the night owls, Harrogate has a thriving scene with live music in many bars and pubs like Harrogate Brasserie. Hales Bar is the oldest pub in Harrogate, with traditional gas lighting and cigar lighting among its interesting Victorian features. Set in Harrogate’s Royal Baths and winter gardens is Revolution, a great party venue.
Harrogate’s spa heritage can be experienced first hand through a choice of steam rooms, aromatherapy experiences or the restored, famous Turkish Baths.
Culture
Lovers of art will find plenty of thought-provoking exhibitions at Mercer Art Gallery, which is home to a fantastic fine art collection. Harrogate also boasts several independent contemporary and fine art collections. The Royal Pump House Museum is the site of Europe’s strongest sulphur well, and shows the fascinating history of how Harrogate became a spa town. Harrogate is known as the floral town, famous for its colorful flowerbeds and Valley Gardens that won the gold medal in the RHS “Britain in Bloom” awards in 2012. Harrogate hosts annual spring and autumn flower shows.
How to Arrive at your Language Course
Harrogate can be most easily reached from Leeds Bradford airport, which is approximately 30 minutes away by car. Manchester Airport is approximately 90 minutes’ drive. Stansted and Luton airports are approximately is 3 hours and 45 minutes by train, and Heathrow and Gatwick airports are approximately 4 hours by train. All information on travelling by train, to and from Harrogate is available here.