Malcolm Neesam History: The birth of the Great Yorkshire Show Ground

This history is written for The Stray Ferret by celebrated Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam. 

This week sees the 70th anniversary of the establishment in Harrogate of a permanent site for the Great Yorkshire Show. Since its premiere in 1838 at Fulford, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society had held its annual show at various locations in Yorkshire, including Harrogate, when its invariable location was on the Stray.

First Hound Show in Yorkshire 1859  Photograph: Yorkshire Agricultural Society

On one occasion, in July 1873, a special track was laid across the south Stray to assist the Great Yorkshire Show.

According to the press:

“Special railway constructed on south Stray in connection with Great Yorkshire Show. Line reaches Stray over Paley land before crossing Stray near the highest of the two bridges before curving round to opposite Prince of Wales Hotel where it reaches a block composed of tons of ballast timber.

“About the centre of the rails a large landing stage has been erected. Up to this landing stage a double line of railway has been laid, about 320 feet long. From the landing stage to the block two and three sets of rails are laid; whilst there is a small line at either end for shunting and other purposes…

“Now it is completed – and probably today the first load of implements will run along. The siding is about equidistant from Leeds Road and the show yard. Therefore everything will have to be carted the short distance from the landing stage to the show yard, which, we apprehend, will be entered at a gate on the west side.”

In the event, the Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate was a huge success and the turnstile receipts for 38,491 people being over 3,000 more than any previous show. But it is well that nobody has tried subsequently to build a railway line across the south Stray.

The event returned to Harrogate in July 1926 and the Royal Show followed in June 1929, when it was attended by the Duke of York, later King George VI.

Great Yorkshire Show 1937  Photograph: Yorkshire Agricultural Society

By the middle of the 20th century, the show’s governors felt it was time to have grounds of their own, and in June 1949 they wrote to Harrogate Borough Council to say that they wanted to make the “Hookstone site” their permanent showground.

In making this approach, it was clear that the Yorkshire Agricultural Society was seeking the help of the corporation in acquiring the land. The council had already set up a special sub-committee to consider the terms on which the society’s application might be recommended to the Finance Committee.

The council welcomed this application with open arms, as it would bring an important attraction to Harrogate on an annual rather than a sporadic basis, and also took the Stray out of the matter, where opposition to any enclosure had become an embarrassment.

As well as an agreement with the council, the society had to acquire land from Hookstone Wood owned by a Mr Otty. In October 1950 the town clerk advised the Finance Committee that agreements had been reached both with the corporation and with Mr Otty.

Things then progressed with some speed, as the society intended to hold its 1951 show at the new permanent site. At the 1951 AGM, the show director, Sir John Dunnington-Jefferson, announced that there had been increases in all sections of the show, following the news of the permanent site of 200 acres.

Great Yorkshire Show, 1953 Photograph: Yorkshire Agricultural Society

Access to the site would be through a 21ft carriageway at the southern boundary, which Harrogate Corporation, at its own expense, would continue through Hookstone Wood. This demonstrated the corporation’s enthusiasm for the project.

When the 1951 Great Yorkshire Show opened at its permanent Harrogate site on July 10 1951, the three-day event attracted 63,900 visitors and entrance fees of £20,000.

Another aspect of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s move was that it, together with Hornbeam Park and the privately owned Rudding Estate, acted as a much-needed barrier to the expansion of housing estates to the south of the town.

This year’s Great Yorkshire Show starts on Tuesday – the Stray Ferret will be covering the event every day as well as bringing you comprehensive travel updates from 6.30am.  

Our thanks to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society for the fabulous archive photographs in this history.  

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WATCH Harrogate keeps high spirits despite England’s loss last night

Harrogate came out in force to support England last night and stayed optimistic after the team’s defeat.

England started off strong with a goal in the first five minutes but a further goal by Italy in the second half meant the England squad had to face penalties.

This was where Italy grabbed the trophy leaving England fans gutted.

The loss didn’t dampen Harrogate’s appetite for victory too much with many football fans staying positive for a win in next year’s World Cup.

Read more:

Harrogate celebrates post-Euros

Jymbo and Johnny are keeping their hopes high for next year’s World Cup.

Live: Harrogate traffic and travel

Good morning. It’s Leah with you this beautiful Monday morning updating you every 15 minutes on how the transport links are near you.

These blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, will show you where the traffic hotspots and temporary traffic lights are and tell you of any train and bus delays.

Let us know if you experience any delays via DM.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning, The Great Yorkshire show starts tomorrow, expect busier traffic than usual! Have a lovely day!

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning, keep checking in.

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning, keep checking in.

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning, keep checking in.

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning, keep checking in.

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning, keep checking in.

Traffic hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning, keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning, keep checking in.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning but keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning but keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning but keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning but keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

  • Skipton Road, Harrogate, between the Old Spring Well Pub and Chain Bar Lane
  • Otley Road, near Harlow Moor Drive, Harrogate
  • Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite, between West Lane and Brookfield
  • A series of works in place between the Summerbridge and Thruscross areas

Trains

  • Services on the Leeds, York, Harrogate and Knaresborough lines look to be running on time so far this morning

Buses

  • Buses also appear to be running well in the Harrogate district with no delays or cancellation

 

Stray Views: Ditch the Station Gateway scheme

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Ditch the Station Gateway scheme!

Harrogate Civic Society’s comments on the proposed Station Gateway are correct. There is no overall traffic scheme for Harrogate, which has congestion problems, and this scheme will result in more traffic on the A59 as people try and park elsewhere because of this ill-thought-out scheme.

We do not need any changes on the pretext of more people cycling and walking, as most will need to drive in and park somewhere first before doing either. The population of Harrogate includes a lot of older people who cannot walk or cycle into town and this ‘scheme’ does not cater for this at all and should be ditched.

John Holder, Harrogate

Time to get life back to normal

I read with interest your article on the ‘rocketing’ Covid infection rate in the Harrogate district.

Can we not just accept that this whole charade is over and get back to normal? Even the never-used Nightingale Hospital has disappeared.

I personally have been vaccinated twice. What more do I need to do, for heaven’s sake?

I say this with genuine sympathies to anyone who has suffered with, or who has lost a loved one to this virus.

James Colin Harrison, Knaresborough

Read more:

Police need to check car number plates

Regarding your article on police taking action against noisy cars.
It is not only the noise these cars make but they are normally driven without a front number plate too. The police need to address this issue too.
Adrian Day, Harrogate
Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
WATCH: Harrogate public give their predictions for today’s Euros final

We asked the Harrogate public for their predictions on today’s Euros final.

This is the first time in over 50 years England has made it to the Euros final and their success so far means excitement is building in Harrogate.

Shoppers in Harrogate this week predicted different outcomes; with some seeing victory for England whilst others thought Italy would take home the trophy.

Keep an eye on the Stray Ferret throughout the day for regular football coverage.

Read more:

Who do you think will come home with the trophy?

Harrogate students inspired by England’s Euro 2020 run

Students at Rossett School have told the Stray Ferret that they have been inspired by England’s performance at Euro 2020.

With the national team preparing to take on Italy during the final on Sunday at Wembley, these pupils have been playing on the school’s new 3G pitch.

The school raised £10,000 through a fundraiser to help with the cost of resurfacing the pitch.

There was a clear bounce in their step and not just because of the rubber. The students are keen to follow in the footsteps of their footballing heroes.

(Left to right) Charlie Wright, William Parkinson, Lydia Corner and Poppy Mortimer.

Bin collections as usual on Monday despite England game

Bin collectors across the Harrogate district will still be out in force on Monday morning after England’s big game.

While some businesses are giving employees a day off after the Euro 2020 final, Harrogate Borough Council has said all refuse will still be collected at its usual time.

England are set to walk out at Wembley tomorrow evening to play Italy in their first major tournament final in 55 years.

A council spokesperson said:

“Garden waste, refuse and recycling will be collected as normal next week.

“We have a dedicated team who look after our parks, open spaces and streets across the district. They will be working hard next week, as they do every week, to make sure the Harrogate district looks as wonderful and presentable as residents expect.”

As pubs and beer gardens are expected to be packed, the council also urged punters to use the bins provided and to take rubbish home with them after the game.

Officials have said there are no plans for a big screen on the Stray to show the match, and no third parties had applied for a screen either.

While bin collections will continue as normal, other businesses have offered their employees time off.

Read more:

National firm McQueens Dairies delivers milk, eggs and other essential produce to homes in the Harrogate district every week and told its drivers they can take the night off on July 11 to watch the final.

Customers received an email saying there would be no deliveries on the morning of July 12 due to its anticipation of a victory for England.

The rescheduling “will allow our staff… to enjoy the celebrations”, the firm explained.

But the chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours housing association has said it is “unfair” that some workers and students have been given a late start to the working week.

Sue Cawthray said that although her team members will be watching the final, essential workers don’t have the option of a mass half-day off. She said:

“Its so unfair, we’ve been through enough with the pandemic and it feels like we’ve been forgotten about. We still have to get up for our shifts on Monday. We can’t say ‘oh, we can’t wake you up or help you get dressed this morning because England were in the finals’.”

Harrogate Town manager looks up to ‘principled and honest’ Gareth Southgate

Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver has paid tribute to Gareth Southgate, who he said has paved the way for football managers to be “principled and honest”.

Weaver told the Stray Ferret that he first met at the England manager, who lives locally, at a gym and they have built up a friendship over the years.

Ahead of the National League play-off final at Wembley last summer, Weaver invited Southgate to give the Town players a motivational team-talk before the biggest game in their history.

Weaver said:

“His emotional intelligence is second to none.

“He’s obviously an outstanding communicator. His values show great honesty.”

The Town boss said that during his own playing career, managers wouldn’t always explain why he was left out of a game, which led to a loss of respect.

In a team full of superstars, he said it is a credit to Southgate’s man-management skills that the players are all firmly behind him, no matter who is chosen for the final 11.

He said:

“There’s no dissent in the squad. The buy-in from his players is second to none.”

But he said it’s a mistake to label Southgate as “just a nice guy”.

“He’s not controversial but has a steely edge.”

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Weaver said Harrogate should “cherish and be proud” of Southgate, and said that he tries to run Harrogate Town with similar values.

Weaver added:

“He’s the perfect fit for an England manager, no job is too small. I look up to him and I can’t help but admire him.

“He’s paved the way to be principled and not have a big front.”

He also has an amusing anecdote. A couple of years ago, Weaver bumped into Southgate in a clothes shop in Harrogate and they had a long chat. Afterwards, the shop owner nudged the Town boss, not knowing who he was, and asked:

“Was that really Gareth Southgate?”

The woman shaping the Harrogate district’s roads

Barely a day has passed in the Harrogate district this year without some sort of controversy about roads and transport schemes.

Roadworks on Skipton Road, new cycling initiatives, the Harrogate Station Gateway, low traffic neighbourhoods, a park and ride, low-traffic neighbourhoods, speed limits… the list goes on.

Everyone who uses roads seems to have an opinion on them and often they’re not very complimentary towards the highways authority, North Yorkshire County Council.

The chief flak taker is usually Don Mackenzie, the Conservative councillor for Harrogate Saltergate, who as the council’s executive member for access sets the policy. But it’s Melisa Burnham, area manager for the Harrogate district, who is effectively the head civil servant in charge of delivering it.

Ms Burnham, a former Ripon Grammar School pupil, has day-to-day oversight of 1,100 miles of road in the district. The junction improvements at Bond End in Knaresborough in 2018 is among the projects she helped complete. Does she wince when she reads some of the more brutal comments directed at Cllr Mackenzie?

“Very much so. I’ve worked with Don for a number of years and I know he has the best interests at heart.

“A person said to me in Harrogate the other day: ‘You must have thick skin because all you hear are complaints’. They can get quite personal.

“Sometimes we don’t always get it right but we do strive to deliver the best service we can.”

Ms Burnham, who studied geography at Hull University, oversees a capital budget of £7.7 million, of which £2.5 million is being spent on surface dressing 200 sites this year. Leeds Road’s four-week resurfacing cost £800,000 and involved cleaning 105 gullies.

Jayne Charlton (left) and Melisa Burnham in front of a new NY Highways vehicle

Melisa Burnham (right) and Jayne Charlton, the council’s area manager for Richmondshire and Hambleton.

She’s also in charge of gritting from October to April. There are 13 priority routes in the district, including the A59 and the A61. The A1 is Highways England‘s responsibility.

Most criticism, she says, is due to a lack of knowledge. The guy sat in the van apparently doing nothing at roadworks is probably operating the traffic lights, she says, and just because someone doesn’t see gritters doesn’t mean they aren’t operating. Highways officers hold two briefings a day in winter to decide whether to activate the fleet of 13 gritters. Ms Burnham says:

“Sometimes people just don’t have the knowledge and information. The more you can share information with them and the more you can inform people, maybe they complain less.”

There have been plenty of complaints this year about specific projects, not least the biggest one: the £10.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway. The scheme, which aims to transform town centre travel by encouraging cycling and walking and reducing traffic, has upset some businesses that fear the proposals to reduce Station Parade to one lane and pedestrianise part of James Street could damage trade.

Ms Burnham says she wasn’t surprised by the reaction and adds the council has been “listening to both sides about their concerns” and is confident of a “positive outcome for the town”.

Cycling schemes

She acknowledges the Otley Road cycle route has had a “lot of problems” due to delays caused by the exchange of Stray land, utility works and covid but is confident work will finally begin in October.

The county council secured £715,000 funding for three other cycling improvement schemes on Oatlands Drive in Harrogate, Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and the A59 Knaresborough Road but the consultation generated such fierce opposition to the Oatlands initiative from residents in the nearby Saints area that it didn’t proceed.

But change to Oatlands is still very much on the agenda. Ms Burnham says a feasibility report at the end of August will consider measures to ease congestion. She says:

“We recognised we needed to take a step back.

“The feasibility study will look at the options. Residents parking was a key issue — that has been a historic problem in the area, especially with the hospital and schools.”

The £215,000 allocated for Oatlands has been diverted to the other two schemes although it seems the funky cyclops junction mooted for the junction of Victoria Avenue and Station Parade to totally separate cyclists from traffic won’t happen. Ms Burnham says it was just one option and there “might be something similar” instead.

She seems cool on the Pannal park and ride idea, saying further details should be available in a couple of months. She insists it’s still on the table but adds “it has to work financially for the bus service too”.

Low-traffic neighbourhoods

Low-traffic neighbourhoods, which reduce motor vehicles in residential areas, have been another bugbear.

An experimental order was introduced on Harrogate’s Beech Grove in February, which closed the route to through traffic. The move took many people by surprise and some cars were driven across the Stray by motorists determined to keep using the route as a cut through between West Park and Otley Road.

Read more:

Ms Burnham says reaction was “mixed”

“There was some positive and that sometimes gets lost in the media and social media.”

The experimental order was extended from 6 months to 18 months before decision is made on whether to close the road permanently to through traffic — why? Ms Burnham says it was to allow more time to see how the initiative ties in with other schemes, such as the Otley Road and Victoria Avenue cycling projects.

She says it’s exciting to see a network of connecting cycle routes emerge in Harrogate.

But a Bilton low traffic neighbourhood, suggested this year, is off the agenda, at least until autumn next year. Ms Burnham says the council wants to assess Beech Grove before considering any other low-traffic neighbourhoods.

No more roadworks than usual

She insists that, contrary to popular belief, there are currently no more roadworks than usual.

Harrogate, she says, often has more roadworks than other parts of the county because it is an urban area, adding:

“There’s also a lot of development taking place and because of that a lot of road works need to happen.”

Ms Burnham says the council tries to stipulate that work takes place between 9.30am to 3.30pm on key routes and can insist on night works “when it’s reasonable”.

As for permits to carry out roadworks being extended, and traffic lights lasting for months, which happened on Skipton Road in Harrogate, she says:

“It’s difficult when a company comes to you and says ‘we need to do more work’. Sometimes they do find issues on site.”

Female role model

Ms Burnham, a mother of two young girls who enjoys camping and walking, is one of two women out of 11 senior officers in the highways senior management team. She lives in Northallerton.

The county council workforce is 76 per cent female but highways remains male-dominated. She says:

“Some people still have a surprised reaction when I tell them my job title. That said, we are certainly seeing a positive increase in women into the service. I now have four females in my team.”

Ms Burnham worked for Harrogate Borough Council for four years from 2005, during which she helped deliver the Nidderdale Greenway scheme.

She joined North Yorkshire County Council in 2009 and was a senior engineer in the special projects team and a lead officer in the transport and development team before moving to her current position in 2018.

More than anywhere else in North Yorkshire, the Harrogate district presents both rural and urban transport challenges. She says:

“Harrogate is just that little bit more demanding in terms of its urban nature and popularity of events.”

 

 

Harrogate school children sing for England’s success

Children from St Peter’s C of E Primary School in Harrogate are singing loud in hope of an England win on Sunday.

The Year 1s and 2s at the school have been learning to sing and sign the football anthem with teachers all week.

The ‘Three Lions’ song has become a chant for football fans across the country to sing together following the team’s continued success.

The children are keeping their fingers crossed England will bring back the trophy after Sunday evening’s final against Italy.

Read more:

St Peter's school sing football anthem

St Peter’s school children are staying hopeful for an England win this weekend.