Wartime bombing of Harrogate’s Majestic hotel told in new play

The bombing of the Majestic hotel in 1940 has inspired a new play written by a Pateley Bridge playwright.

Keith Burton has been writing plays for the last 10 years. In summer 2019 he was commissioned by North Yorkshire County Council to write a play about Harrogate’s role during World War Two as part of VE Day celebrations.

Harrogate Dramatic Society will perform the play, named ‘The Stray’ next weekend following covid delays.

The play begins on Sunday, September 8 1940 when Buckingham Palace was bombed. This triggered The Coats Mission – a top secret plan for the evacuation of the royal family from London.

One of the proposed temporary homes was Newby Hall, Ripon, with Winston Churchill staying at Grove House across from Harrogate Fire Station.

This plan made the RAF and the Secret Intelligence Service nervous due to Harrogate’s involvement in the war effort.

In nearby Yeadon, where Leeds Bradford Airport is now, bomber planes were being built at an underground factory. There was also a code-breaking centre that fed information to Bletchley Park in Forest Moor.

On Thursday, September 12 the Majestic hotel was bombed by a ‘stray’ plane as part of a larger raid. This was the only bomb to fall on Harrogate in World War Two.

Actors during rehearsals for ‘The Stray’.

‘The Stray’ is based on what might have happened in Harrogate during that week in September to cause the bombing of the Majestic.

Playwright Keith Burton said:

“Thanks to local historian Malcolm Neesam, everything in the play is historically accurate it’s just the ‘why’ that I’ve made into a story. As a dramatist, that is what I do.”

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Harrogate Dramatic Society will perform the play at The Crown Hotel November 4-6. To book tickets click here.

The Stray Ferret has teamed up with local historian Malcolm Neesam, to produce audio walking tours of Harrogate. The walks are sponsored by the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) and take you back to Harrogate during wartime. They’re easy to do and a great day out. For more information click here. 

Bilton church holds gathering to remember the dead

A church in Bilton is holding an event tomorrow to remember those who have died over the last 18 months.

The gathering of lament and remembering, which is open to everyone, will be held at St John’s Church on Bilton Lane.

It will commemorate those who have lost their lives to covid and anyone else who has died since the pandemic began. It will take place two days before All Souls Day, the annual Christian day for remembering the dead.

The 45-minute event starts at 3.30pm and will include music, hymns and reflection. There will also be the opportunity to light candles.

Pre-pandemic, the church held two memorial services each year primarily for families it had taken funeral services for.

Rev Simon Dowson, rector of St John’s and St Luke’s in Bilton, said:

“The last 18 months have been a very challenging time for our community in all sorts of ways, and grief and sadness have been emotions that many of us have been experiencing.

“Our gathering ‘A time to lament and remember’ offers people an opportunity to come together in a sacred space to acknowledge that grief and sadness and hopefully be helped in their journey of bereavement.”

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Major Harrogate employer CNG ‘enters liquidation’

A member of staff at one of Harrogate’s biggest companies has told the Stray Ferret that it has gone into liquidation today.

The CNG Group, which is based on Victoria Avenue and employs about 180 staff, is one of numerous companies affected by the spiralling increase in wholesale gas prices.

According to the source, staff were today informed they have lost their jobs.

The company supplies about 15 to 20 retail energy companies through its wholesale business arm and also has around 50,000 business customers.

The Stray Ferret understands that CNG has entered into the Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) system and the administration and liquidation process.

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The employee, who requested anonymity, told the Stray Ferret:

“The staff were told to stay on and help the company close, they said that there was £12 million in the pot for redundancy pay outs.

“Just a couple of days later and today they have said that we will only be entitled to statutory redundancy through the government.

“There will be plenty of staff in a tricky financial situation, some have told me they are unsure how they will be able to pay their bills while they wait for the money to come through.”

The Stray Ferret has approached the CNG Group for comment but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

Harrogate’s Pine Marten pub reopens after major refurbishment

A well-known Harrogate pub is reopening this weekend a month after it closed for a major refurbishment.

When the Pine Marten, on Otley Road near RHS Harlow Carr, closed its doors in September it had a classic country pub look but it now has a much more modern, glamorous feel.

The pub has introduced a revamped menu inspired from ideas across the globe.

Head Chef Tim Chapman, who has been with the pub for six years, still oversees the food, which now also includes a dedicated vegan menu.

Some customer favourite features, like the three open fireplaces, have been retained but the whole venue has been transformed from top to bottom.

The Pine Marten building dates back to the 1820s when it was the original home of Robert Wigglesworth, who created the world’s largest telescope at the time.

The spiced coconut curry in the foreground with a plant based burger in the background.

General manager Richard Tate, who has over 30 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, said:

“I’m delighted with the makeover at the Pine Marten – we’ve retained customer favourite features  while revamping the entire place, and it looks absolutely stunning.

“This marks a new chapter for the Pine Marten – my fantastic team and I can’t wait to see guests coming through the doors!”

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How would Harrogate’s ‘Dutch-style’ roundabout work?

Harrogate could get the county’s first ‘Dutch-style’ roundabout as part of the £10.9 million Station Gateway project.

But why is it being proposed and how would it work?

The junction changes have been put forward for the existing East Parade, Station Bridge, Station Avenue and North Park Road roundabout in front of the Odeon cinema.

Inspired by road layouts in the Netherlands, the roundabout would give priority to pedestrians and cyclists with improved crossings and an outer ring for cycling, which in parts would be segregated from traffic.

The aim is to encourage sustainable travel and improve safety for those travelling on foot or by bike. But it would also demand greater awareness from motorists who would give way as they both enter and exit the new roundabout.

‘A big step forward’

North Yorkshire County Council – which is leading on the gateway project – said the proposed layout “balances the need for increased protection and priority for pedestrians and cyclists with maintaining capacity for vehicles”.

The council has also won the support of Harrogate District Cycle Action, whose chairman Kevin Douglas described the proposals as a “big step forward” in the town’s sustainable transport future.

But these roundabouts have not always gone down smoothly elsewhere, with the UK’s first in Cambridge drawing some criticisms.

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While Cambridgeshire County Council says the roundabout has improved safety overall, a safety audit team reported several problems, including a risk of exiting drivers finding it difficult to observe multiple cyclists approaching from behind.

Planners up and down the country are keeping a keen eye on the roundabout, and other areas have already shown an interest in replicating it, including Barnsley and North Tyneside.

Mr Douglas said he was confident the plans for Harrogate would improve safety for all road users and that he would like to see more of these roundabouts introduced.

He said: 

“The roundabout will hopefully show people what can be done in terms of improving safety and will only encourage more people to cycle into the town centre.

“At the moment, going into and coming out of a roundabout can be a risk if people don’t see and give cyclists priority, whereas with this you are going to get that.”

He added: 

“If we are going to take action on climate change then we do have to reduce the number of vehicles in the town centre and give people that confidence to go out on their bikes.

“That is what we should be aiming for here – people being able to get into town safely without using their cars.”

A CYLCOPS junction for Harrogate?

These plans are not the only new roundabout proposals for Harrogate, with transport officials currently considering a CYCLOPS (Cycle Optimised Protected Signals) roundabout for the Station Parade junction of Victoria Avenue.

This is part of a separate active travel scheme and would work similar to a ‘Dutch-style’ roundabout but with traffic lights.

Cyclops active travel scheme

An example of a cyclops junction.

North Yorkshire County Council said the CYCLOPS roundabout was put forward as an “aspiration of what might be achieved” at the junction and that it is now being considered at the detailed design stage of the scheme.

Under the gateway project, there are also plans for a part-time pedestrianisation of James Street and a reduction of Station Parade to a single lane of traffic to create room for a cycle lane, as well improvements to Station Square and the One Arch underpass.

The latest consultation on the project is currently underway with residents and businesses having until November 12 to have their say before more detailed proposals are drawn up and a final decision is made.

If approved, it is anticipated that construction will start in spring 2022 for approximately 12 months.

For more information and to have your say visit the consultation page here.

Harrogate district covid rate stabilises after another 144 infections

The Harrogate district has recorded another 144 coronavirus cases today, according to the latest Public Health England figures.

Although daily cases remain high, Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any further covid patient deaths.

The seven-day rate for the Harrogate district is now 517 per 100,000 people, which is much lower than the peak of 740 on October 16. However, the rate of decline has slowed in recent days.

The district now has the fourth highest rate in North Yorkshire, below Craven, Ryedale and Selby.

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North Yorkshire’s average is 503 per 100,000 and England’s is 450.

The hospital was treating 19 covid patients as of Monday.

It was also announced this week that 12-15 year olds can now book their covid vaccines appointments.

The government’s coronavirus dashboard had not updated the vaccine figures for the Harrogate district today at the time of going to press.

Bilton Cricket Club cancels fireworks display

Bilton Cricket Club has cancelled its annual fireworks display.

The club issued a statement today saying restrictions imposed on the event “would severely impact our ability to operate the event in the way we want to” and it was therefore left with no choice but to cancel.

The event, which is usually held annually at the club’s ground on Bilton Lane, was due to take place on November 5.

Its Facebook post said:

“Over the last few days the club has been under immense pressure to cover off all demands from all authorities regarding the fireworks display planned for next Friday.

“We believed we had covered all areas but further requests and demands have been made which has lead to some restrictions imposed which would severely impact our ability to operate the event in the way we want to, and have done in the past.

“Therefore the committee has made the hard decision to cancel the fireworks display planned for the evening of Friday 5 November.

“This decision has not been made lightly and obviously we would love to provide this event for members and community.

“I am really very very sorry we are cancelling this but without going into too many facts we really have no other option.”

The news comes as bonfire and firework events elsewhere look set to resume after covid forced them to be cancelled last year.

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All Harrogate trains delayed due to fallen tree

Update: National Rail staff have now cleared the tree but there are still some delays on all Harrogate lines this afternoon.

All trains in the Harrogate area are facing delays and cancellations this afternoon after a tree fell in the Starbeck area.

National Rail said it first received reports of an incident at around 2.15pm and expects the disruption to continue until at least 4pm.

Staff from National Rail are on their way to remove the tree but it is unclear how easy the process will be at this time.

Those travelling between Leeds and York will be able to find another route through Micklefield but others may need to wait for road replacement services.

Rail replacement buses are in operation between Harrogate and York:

This is a breaking news story. We will update this page when we get more information. Have you been affected? Send an email to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Harrogate businesses set for crunch talks on £10.9m Station Gateway

Transport chief Don Mackenzie has agreed to meet sceptical Harrogate businesses for crunch talks about the £10.9 million Station Gateway project.

Many firms in Harrogate have deep reservations about the scheme, which aims to make the town centre more attractive and encourage cycling and walking.

Some fear a reduction in parking spaces, the part-pedestrianisation of James Street and potentially a year of major road works would damage businesses already struggling to recover from covid.

One recent survey of businesses, which received 180 responses, revealed 72% were against reducing the A61 from Cheltenham Mount to Station Bridge to a single lane, which is one of the most controversial aspects of the scheme,

Cllr Mackenzie, the executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, which is leading on the scheme, has agreed to take part in a question-and-answer session at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce’s next monthly meeting at the Cedar Court Hotel on November 8,

Phil Ireland, cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability at Harrogate Borough Council, which also supports the gateway initiative, will also participate.

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Members of the project team will give a presentation before chamber members get the chance to quiz them on issues such as what assessments have been made of the likely impact on the town’s economy.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber, said:

“Our meeting will hopefully put businesses fully in the picture about the Harrogate Station Gateway Project, and the implications for them and their customers.

“I must stress this is a business meeting and open to our members, those in the Harrogate BID area, as well as members of Independent Harrogate.

Those planning to attend the meeting must register their interest in advance on the chamber website.

What is the Harrogate Station Gateway?

The Harrogate scheme is one of three projects worth a combined £42m in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby funded by the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund, which encourages cycling and walking.

They are being delivered in partnership by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, Craven District Council and Selby District Council.

A consultation is currently taking place on the revised designs. It is anticipated that work in Harrogate will begin by the middle of next year.

Cycling campaigners stop in Harrogate on 500-mile tour to Glasgow

Nine cyclists arrived in Harrogate last night on the fifth day of their tour from Brighton to Glasgow for the UN climate change conference Cop26.

The cyclists are travelling across the UK ahead of Cop26 to talk to people about what they can do to go green.

The group set off from Loughborough yesterday morning and made it to Harrogate by 5.30pm.

One of the cyclists, Sophie Gordon, said the aim was to make people aware of the small changes they can make that have a big impact.

Travelling with banners and flags, the cyclists have been stopped by people wanting to discuss projects, such as planting trees or driving electric vehicles.

Ms Gordon, from Guildford, said:

“We all felt a bit helpless about the environmental crisis and everything we could see going on around us and we knew we couldn’t miss COP26 since it was so close in Glasgow.

“We just want to inspire people to get involved and make it happen.”

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Last night the group went the The Old Bell, in Harrogate, to host a quiz and talk to people to find out their concerns and see what can be done to tackle them.

Ms Gordon is as an avid cyclist who works for a cycling charity and said she hoped the government would invest more in cycling infrastructure across the UK to combat vehicle emissions.