This History is written for The Stray Ferret by Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam:

On Tuesday 8^th May 1945 a full sized likeness of Adolph Hitler gazed across West Park Stray surrounded by a replica of his Mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden. It had been placed there as the crowning display of a huge bonfire and assembled by the Harrogate Home Guard, who, at dusk, stormed the display, and to frantic cheering from the assembled townspeople, captured the effigies of Hitler and his cronies, before the Mayor lit the bonfire that burned “Berchtesgaden” to the ground. Beyond this scene of rejoicing, Harrogate was a sea of bunting and the flags of allied nations, which filled not only the town centre, but nearly every suburban street as well. In the main shopping streets at the town’s centre were displayed large portraits of the King and Queen, Prime Minister Churchill and allied leaders, Field Marshall Montgomery and other military luminaries.

Street party Harrogate 1945

Joyous crowds surged through the town centre that day, whose drab and neglected appearance, the result of five years, eight months and five days of wartime austerity, was temporarily brightened by brightly coloured displays, although the need to conserve energy precluded the use of gas or electric power, exceptions being made at the Royal Baths, and Municipal Offices where Mayor G. Spenceley had greeting the crowds gathered in Crescent Gardens. People continued to surge through the centre of the town throughout the day, despite heavy rain showers, although the streets cleared in time for both the Prime Minister’s broadcast, and the King’s speech.

Harrogate residents pose for VE day 1945

The borough court continued to function on VE Day, the main business being concerned with granting licences for dancing and extensions for liquor and music, all essential aspects of the coming celebrations on the following Sunday, which at the request of the King, would be a day of national thanksgiving and prayer. A service was planned at St. Peter’s Church attended by the Mayor and full Corporation, followed by a brief ceremony at the War Memorial in remembrance of the fallen. In the afternoon, a grand parade was to occur on West Park, when participants would include American military personnel, units of the Home Guard and Civil Defence, representatives from the British Legion, St. John Ambulance Brigade, the Scouts and the Guides. Flag bearing youth groups present included the Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Corps, Air Training Corps, Girls Training Corps, Boys Brigade, and the Civil Defence Messengers. After a short open air service, the parade marched via West Park and Parliament Street to the Municipal Officers in Crescent Gardens, where the Mayor took the salute from a specially constructed platform. The Mayor’s rousing speech reminded the townspeople of the ordeal they had undergone, and that until Japan had been overcome, the resolve of the people must be continued. He ended his speech with the sincere thanks of the entire Corporation for what the townspeople had achieved through their great sacrifice.

This History is written for The Stray Ferret by Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam:

At the outbreak of war on 1st September 1939, Harrogate’s population experienced the greatest transformation of its history. There was a big influx of evacuated civil servants and their families from London and other major cities which the government feared would immediately be subjected to mass bombing. In addition, hundreds of evacuated children were billeted in the town. And then, within weeks, the town was made the centre for the allied pilots training scheme, whereby hundreds of pilots and other airmen – British, Australian, Canadian, New Zealanders, Indians, French, Polish etc. – eventually received training in the struggle against Hitler. Within weeks, Harrogate was crowded, the air being filled with often strange accents, some recognisable, others unfamiliar. 

Then there were the new norms to be observed. Strict rationing of food, fuel and power, and the disappearance of many valued consumable objects from the shops, where queuing became an unwelcome practice. Conscription emptied the town of its young men, and so many of its young women took on new and unaccustomed work roles that the older generation predicted a social revolution after the war. 

Harrogate’s schools were provided with air raid shelters, and staff and pupils drilled in what to do in case of an attack.  All children had to carry gas masks, as the horrors of the First World War were still within living memory.  

Ploughing on the Stray 1941

Within a month of the start of hostilities, the Stray was used to graze sheep, but in June 1940, the Council agreed to plough 102 acres to grow crops. The Valley Gardens flower beds were converted into vegetable plots, but as the local dogs caused too much damage, the beds were planted with annual seeds instead. Land throughout the town was used to provide allotments, including areas of the Stray at Leeds Road, the railway sides, the Granby and Empress. Several huge water tanks were put up around the town to fight fires, with one of the biggest located on the Stray opposite Victoria Avenue. 

Salvage was collected assiduously, with most of the town’s ornamental railings being torn up and carted away. Pig bins became a common site, and even the grandest of houses kept a bin where scarp food was stored for weekly collection, although these soon became a source of complaint as they became smelly. 

The town received a visit from a solitary Nazi bomber on 12th September 1940 when bombs were dropped on the Hotel Majestic, destroying the hotel’s great Wintergarden, a house in Swan Road, and blowing out nearly every shop window in the town centre. Naturally this only stiffened morale, which received a great boost when Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery visited Harrogate in 1944, where they were photographed with the Mayor at the railway station. 

The bombing of Swan Road Villa 1940

 Although the Royal Hall and the town’s six cinemas were all closed at the outbreak of war, due to fear of mass bombing, they soon reopened and provided much needed entertainment throughout the conflict. Many local amateur groups flourished, as did groups from the evacuated civil servants and the various military forces stationed in the town. At the highest of professional levels, all the big London theatres sent their shows to Harrogate, and in 1941 alone, visits were made by the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells, The Royal Ballet, the Old Vic, and the London Symphony Orchestra.  

Humour thrived, and the British Restaurant chain became the butt of many jokes about gristle, bone and lumpy custard, Harrogate’s British Restaurant being housed in Wesley Chapel’s School Room. At an official level, the Council agonised about the future of the Spa, and everyone knew that things would never be the same again when peace was declared.                                  

Malcolm Neesam- Biography

Malcolm Neesam was born in Harrogate and graduated from the University of Leeds as a professional archivist and librarian. He subsequently worked in Hereford, Leeds, London and York where, for twenty-five years, he was North Yorkshire’s County Music and Audiovisual Librarian.  Malcolm is a much-published author. In 1996 Harrogate Borough Council awarded Malcolm the Freedom of the Borough for his services as the town’s historian.

This is the first time Malcolm has written for The Stray Ferret- and we will be publishing much more from him in the future as he has kindly agreed to write many histories of Harrogate for us in the coming year.  We hope you enjoy reading them. 

Elderly residents in Harrogate have shared their memories of VE Day as the country prepares to mark its 75th anniversary tomorrow.

Continued Care’s staff have spoken to their elderly residents, who were young men and women when on May 8, 1945.

One woman who was 15-years-old at the time recalled how there was a huge street party on Albert Road, with every house flying Union Jack flags.

She described seeing tables laid out from one end of the street to the other, with enough room was dancing in the road and footpaths.

A loud speaker played records by Vera Lynn and other famous singers, and the tables “bulged with food” such as jellies, trifles, sandwiches and pies.

She said: “I don’t know where all the food came from; it was like magic. We hadn’t seen so much food for months! There were bananas, and one or two children didn’t know what to do with them. They didn’t know whether to eat the whole lot or to peel it!”

Aged 16 on VE Day, one man described a street party on Mayfield Terrace, where residents of each house brought food and joined in.

He added: “This lockdown now feels like it’s bringing the wartime back again. Everything was rationed then and you couldn’t get much to eat.”

Photo: VE Day 75

Another Harrogate resident, who was brought up in London and spent much of the war in bomb shelters, described how she would pick up shrapnel as she walked to school.

However, she added: “I always felt perfectly safe. It was very strange, really.”

Aged 17 on VE Day, she said she would be marking the 75th anniversary with her neighbour while observing social distancing rules.

She said: “My neighbour has said we are going out in the front to do a bit of celebrating. I said I would be quite happy to do that. I can sit on the porch – and I’m sure there will be a glass of wine somewhere!”

Continued Care’s director Samantha Harrison said: “For those of us who did not live through the Second World War and for whom VE Day is a moment in history, it’s easy to forget that it is still very real for the older generation. It’s a privilege to hear them recall their memories in such vivid detail, and we are proud to be caring for them today.”

Some landlords in the Harrogate district have criticised the borough council’s plan to give commercial tenants free rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The authority made the decision back in March as part of its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Businesses which rent from the council were given three months free rent and could also apply for emergency grants from the government.

While other authorities offered local companies in their area rent deferrals, the borough council decided to give businesses in the district a period of rent for free.

At the time, a joint statement from chief executive Wallace Sampson and council leader Richard Cooper said the council wanted to encourage others to offer support.

It said: “Our commercial tenants will be offered three months’ rent free and we’ll be doing all that we can to encourage other landlords in the district to consider what support they can offer their tenants.”

But some landlords in the district have described the decision as “unnecessary” and pointed to the fact that the authority has estimated a £15 million shortfall in its budget.

John Warren, a housing landlord in Ripon, said while some business will need help, the cost is going to eventually have an impact on the taxpayer. He said:

“My concern is as a council taxpayer.

“We have a council which is giving money away perhaps unnecessarily and no doubt in 12 months time council tax will be put up.

“I am sure they have done it for the best of reasons, but when times are hard you have to think of the greater good which is the council taxpayer.”

Mr Warren contacted The Stray Ferret and said he was unhappy after it was revealed that the borough council is expecting a shortfall of £15 million and may have to furlough some staff to address the funding gap.

Another landlord, who did not wish to be named, said: “It does not seem fair, it will screw the market.”

In response to an e-mail from Mr Warren, Councillor Margaret Atkinson, member for Fountains and Ripley, said the authority was doing all it can to support local business.

“The council has to do everything it can to help these businesses on the instructions of the government,” she said.

“The government has given Harrogate council over £40 million to issue grants of £10,000 to small businesses that meet – 1) They are in the Harrogate district, 2) They qualify for small business rate relief or rural rate relief and 3) the business occupies the property.

“They have already had over 2,000 applications.”

However, Mr Warren described Councillor Atkinson’s response to his concerns as “very unsatisfactory”.

Meanwhile, Councillor Pat Marsh, Leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the borough council, said she thought the decision was rushed.

“I think in hindsight it was maybe a decision which should have been tempered,” she said.

“For me, I think it was a bit of a rushed decision that I wish I had given more thought.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths in the last two days, but there has been one confirmed for May 4, in the latest statistics released by NHS England.

Meanwhile, the hospital has announced it has now discharged 82 patients after treatment for coronavirus.

#thankyouNHS pic.twitter.com/JisKnaEobX

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) May 7, 2020

Hospitals across the North East and Yorkshire reported another 40 deaths in today’s figures, with 383 deaths across England.

Patients were aged between 28 and 100 years old. 41 of the 383 patients, who were aged between 28 and 96 years old, had no known underlying health conditions.

However, while the number of deaths at the hospital appears to be slowing down the number of deaths in care homes is rising according to weekly data from the Office for National Statistics.

Last week, the ONS data which included deaths up to April 17 revealed that there had been 22 deaths outside of hospitals.

This week, the data goes up to April 24 and now shows that there have been 39 deaths outside of hospitals.

In Harrogate, two people have died from coronavirus in their homes and two have died in “other communal establishments,” so the majority of deaths outside of hospitals were in care homes.

Art workshops, exercise classes and even beer-tasting will all be on offer this weekend as HG Community Lockdown Fest gets under way.

The event, masterminded by Harrogate women Rebecca Oliver and Catherine Wright, is designed to replace the weekend of activities cancelled because of the coronavirus lockdown. Rebecca said:

“All the things you take for granted on a bank holiday weekend – going to the coast, spending time with friends and seeing family – is all out of the window. We wanted to offer interesting things for people to do at home.”

Interacting in real life may not be possible, but the lockdown festival brings together dozens of local businesses to offer events online, which can be booked via its website.

There is no charge for the events, but people are being encouraged to make a donation – as much as they can afford – if they take part. The proceeds will be given to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity (HHCC).

Among the activities include dance classes, a children’s puppet show, a clubbercise session and karate lessons. Artist Anita Bowerman (pictured above), Yorkshire Garden School and Born of the Forest will all run events themed around the great outdoors, while walking tour guide Harry Satloka will bring a mix of local scenery and history to people’s homes.

Harry Satloka will bring his walking tours online for the lockdown festival

Major Tom’s Social is running a live beer-tasting, with packs available to order and collect in advance, and Harrogate Library will be hosting story time for younger children. As well as holding a training session on Saturday afternoon, Harrogate Town AFC will be auctioning off signed shirts throughout the weekend to raise more money for HHCC.

The programme, which runs throughout the bank holiday weekend, also includes an opportunity to join the two-minute silence for VE Day at 11am on Friday, as well as the toast at 3pm. Rebecca added:

“We aren’t limited, space-wise, in terms of what we can do. Avoiding too many smaller things clashing but I don’t think it matters because a lot of it is going to be recorded, so you can always come back to things at another time.”

Harrogate Borough Council has estimated a budget shortfall of £15 million as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of the borough council, told the first virtual meeting of the authority’s Cabinet that the shortfall was largely down to a loss of income during the lockdown period.

Mr Sampson said the authority may have to look to furlough some council staff in the future in order to address the shortfall.

It comes less than a fortnight since the authority predicted a gap of £10 million due to the outbreak.

As a result of the estimated funding gap, council officials have written to each department at the authority to ensure that any spending is only in essential areas until a recovery plan is produced.

Harrogate Borough Council offices.

Council bosses said the shortfall was largely down to a loss in income in areas such as car parking, leisure and the Harrogate Convention Centre.

Mr Sampson said the authority will have to look closely at how it recovers financially.

“The impact is quite significant,” he said.

“There is a need to look at how we are going to address that in the medium term.

“Whatever we do, we will have to make sure it is in accordance with government guidance.”

The authority has received £1.6 million in emergency financial support from government to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Paul Foster, head of finance at the council, said the authority would continue to lobby government for further financial support.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council estimated last month that tackling coronavirus will leave the authority with a £65 million shortfall.

A group of Harrogate photographers has raised over £2,000 for the hospital with family portraits documenting life under coronavirus lockdown.

Stacey Evans set up The Doorstep Portrait Project just three weeks ago with five other photographers and she says it is really starting to take off.

They can cover families in Starbeck, Hookstone, Bilton, Jennyfields, Shaw Mills, Harlow Hill, Leeds Road, Goldsborough, and Knaresborough all in their daily exercise with social distancing at the forefront of their minds.

The Cooney Family.

It has been so popular that they have even had requests from as far away as Brighton, something they had to turn down.

“We are over the moon,” Stacey, who started photography as a hobby, told the Stray Ferret. “None of us could imagine it would take off so well.

“This started off with the idea of raising £500 but we have gone well above that now and hope to raise as much as we can for the hospital in Harrogate.

The Hunt family.

“I moved to Harrogate fairly recently so it has been a great way of getting to know my neighbours. It’s been so nice to talk to people and see their smiles.”

She says she got the idea from a photographer in America who got some negative publicity after breaking social distancing rules and trying to make a profit.

The Needle family.

Stacey wanted to turn it into something positive so she always keeps her distance and does not charge for the photos. Instead, they ask people to donate money to Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity to help those on the frontline.

At the time of writing The Doorstep Portrait Project has raised £2,280 for the hospital.

The Foster family.

Stacey J Evans Photography, Lianne Price Photography, Nicole Wilcox Photography, Sarah Warne Photography, Charlotte Hedgecock Photography & Rachael Fawcett Photography are all involved and bring their own styles to each photoshoot.

Local democracy is facing an unprecedented challenge as parish, district and county councils find ways to work and continue decision-making when they cannot meet in person.

The business of councils is being completed through powers delegated to officers or in online meetings – including this week’s cabinet meeting at Harrogate Borough Council.

The ceremonial roles of mayors and their deputies are usually handed over at annual meetings in May. The traditional ceremonies are not currently possible, but some new mayors are still taking up the reins across the Harrogate district.

Boroughbridge and Pateley Bridge both have new mayors after completing their official declarations remotely.

The incoming Boroughbridge mayor Coun Pat Taylor was sworn in from May 1st, taking over after Coun Geoff Haldenby concluded his two-year term of office. Town clerk John Nichols said:

“We have gone through the protocols and it has been done in accordance with our regulations. We just couldn’t get people together for our mayor-making ceremony. We may hold a retrospective event when we can.”

In Pateley Bridge, a Zoom meeting saw Coun Mike Holt complete his declarations online, with the official documents to be signed when social distancing measures allow. He takes over from Coun Chris Skaife and, although the council does not hold a ceremony, the usual service and civic reception could still take place later in the year.

Coun Eamon Parkin will remain Mayor of Ripon until the city council can meet again

In Ripon and Knaresborough, the current mayor will stay in post for now. Ripon City Council’s current mayor, Coun Eamon Parkin, will continue in his role until the council can meet to make a decision about how to proceed with a new mayor. City clerk Paula Benson said:

“The nature of the mayor’s role will change because there are no mayoral functions to attend. While he carries out a civic role, he is also the chairman of the council in law.

“The requirement to hold an annual meeting has been relaxed, so the current office holder can carry on. The council needs a chairman, so we’re following that piece of legislation, passed last month.”

Mrs Benson is carrying out routine work, such as giving responses to planning applications in line with Ripon City Plan, which has been adopted as its policy. However, decisions about future activities such as choosing a contractor to supply Christmas lights have been put on hold until meetings resume.

She said that, should socially-distanced meetings be resumed in the coming months, the council will have to consider how this might be done in a way that will still allow the public to attend safely.

‘It wouldn’t be fair’

In Knaresborough, Coun Christine Willoughby is expecting to continue her mayoral role for now and potentially for the full year, subject to a final decision by the town council.

“We aren’t able to hold an annual meeting and do a change-over. If we did it in a few months’ time, it wouldn’t be fair on the new mayor to do a short year.”

Coun Willoughby said the business of the council is carrying on, including negotiating a new Christmas lights contract and agreeing a grant for FEVA. The latter will support street entertainment in August, if social distancing guidance at the time allows.

Harrogate Borough Council, meanwhile, says it has not yet made a decision on how to proceed, with its planned mayor-making ceremony due to have taken place on May 18th. Coun Stuart Martin, who has held the role of mayor for the last year, said he expects a decision to be made next week after any change in government guidance over the weekend.

North Yorkshire County Council’s AGM has been postponed. The chairman, Coun Jim Clark of Harrogate Harlow division, and vice chairman Robert Heseltine of Skipton East, will continue in their roles until the meeting can be held either virtually or in person.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for the second day in a row.

The last time the hospital reported a coronavirus death was on Monday, with the patient losing their life the day before.

As of last Thursday, Harrogate District Hospital has also released 70 patients after recovering from coronavirus.

Hospitals across the North East and Yorkshire reported another 51 deaths in today’s figures, with 331 deaths across England.

Patients were aged between 32 and 102 years old. 17 of the 331 patients, who were aged between 46 and 88 years old, had no known underlying health conditions.

However, while the number of deaths at the hospital appears to be slowing down the number of deaths in care homes is rising according to weekly data from the Office for National Statistics.

Last week, the ONS data which included deaths up to April 17 revealed that there had been 22 deaths outside of hospitals.

This week, the data goes up to April 24 and now shows that there have been 39 deaths outside of hospitals.

In Harrogate, two people have died from coronavirus in their homes and two have died in “other communal establishments,” so the majority of deaths outside of hospitals were in care homes.