A growing collection of books, images, objects and ephemera is providing a research foundation for Harrogate Spa Society and its work to advance Harrogate as Britain’s Living Spa. Harrogate Spa Society is developing a new archive concerned with Harrogate’s mineral waters, landscapes and spa culture. Bringing together historic material with contemporary research and documentation, the Harrogate Spa Archive will support the Society’s publishing, interpretation, exhibitions, pub

What if a British town was designed around nature, water, and wellbeing? This video is a recording of a public presentation by George Eglese, delivered at the Harrogate Town Plan Forum, exploring a nature-led vision for Harrogate as a 21st-century spa town. Drawing on Harrogate’s unique geological heritage, mineral springs, hidden waterways, and historic landscapes, the talk sets out how water and nature could once again sit at the heart of urban life. It explores how becks,

Beautiful paintings depict spa scenes against the background of the ornate 'water temples' Earlier this month, I visited the West Bohemia Spa Triangle - a trinity of historic spa towns in Czechia that form part of UNESCO’s Great Spa Towns of Europe. For anyone who hasn’t been, Czechia is incredible. Their attitude toward food and beer is exactly what you’d expect - generous, hearty, and entirely unapologetic. But what struck me most wasn’t the beer culture - it was how deeply

There’s a growing conversation in Harrogate - one that’s been a long time coming. Could this town, known for its rich spa heritage, reclaim its identity in a way that feels relevant today? Could it move beyond nostalgia and become a place where water, wellbeing, and nature are once again central to its future? These were the questions at the heart of “Growing the 21st Century Spa Town,” a recent workshop that brought together over 30 key players - from North Yorkshire Council

Buxton Crescent, built in the 1780s for the Duke of Devonshire Earlier in the year, we visited Buxton, one of the UK’s key spa towns. Nestled in the Peak District, it’s smaller than Harrogate, but walking through its streets, we were struck by the similarities - the architecture, the grand public gardens, even the way the town’s hilly terrain shapes its landscape. Pavilion Gardens sits at the heart of Buxton much like Valley Gardens in Harrogate, and its Pavilion echoes our o