Knaresborough museum plans take a major step forward
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Last updated Nov 6, 2020
Knaresborough Museum site
The proposed site of the Knaresborough Museum.

Plans to open a dedicated museum in Knaresborough have taken a significant step forward after Harrogate Borough Council backed the plans.

The council’s cabinet have decided to let the Knaresborough Museum Association (KMA) take on the former dance school for a “fair and reasonable rent”.

Before the museum can open the KMA has said it needs to fundraise a few thousand pounds and renovate the building, which has fallen into disrepair.

However the group sees this as a major boost for their museum plans at the Castle Girls’ School building. Kathy Allday, chair of KMA, told the Stray Ferret:

“This is terrific news and it has been around 18 months in the making. This is a great location so close to the castle and the court house museum.

“Knaresborough has such a rich and fascinating history. We want to complement what the existing museum already does, not replicate it.”


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Kathy has called for anyone who wants to join the KMA or just help as a volunteer to get in touch by sending an email here.

The plans for the building on Castle Yard in Knaresborough include a hub for historical exhibitions and to become an educational space for the community.

“Our Knaresborough: Our Stories” will be the first exhibition and it is already ready to go. It tells the town’s story from the pre-historic age right through to WWII.

The group is already working on a second exibition about how life change from the 1930s to the 1950s.