Thank you for your interest in this story
To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
14
Feb
Harrogate museum's 81-day closure explained
A faulty boiler caused the Royal Pump Room Museum in Harrogate to close for almost three months over winter.
The museum closed on November 8 last year and reopened 81 days later on January 28.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council, which owns the museum, what the fault was and why it took so long to resolve.
A council spokesperson said “the issue with the boiler was caused by the atmosphere and sulphur in the plant room”. They did not provide any further details.
We also asked how much repairs cost. The spokesperson said the cost to replace the boiler was £6,817.
The Royal Pump Room was built by Isaac Shutt in 1842 for visitors who came to take the town's famous waters.
According to the council's website, it is the strongest sulphur well in Europe. It reopened as a museum in 1953 and now tells the story of Harrogate's spa past.
Nic Harne, the council’s corporate director of community development, said:
Our visitor numbers are similar to those from the third quarter of last year, so given the closure, the figures are very positive. Without the boiler closure, we would have exceeded numbers, thereby showing a year-on-year increase.
1