There have been numerous schemes devised over the years to improve Harrogate. Some come to fruition, such as the 19th-century plan to develop a wedge of land called the Crookisnab between the villages of High and Low Harrogate, which resulted in our town centre. Others are not so successful, like the 1970 traffic management plan that included a flyover passing close to the Majestic Hotel. 

But one that keeps cropping up time and again is the dream of creating a grand water feature somewhere in the town centre. 

In 1946, the town council spent £100 on erecting a fountain to emphasise the importance of water to Harrogate, but it was soon turned off to save power and eventually scrapped. 

A few years later, the council re-introduced a water feature as part of its reconstruction of Station Square, but that was eventually filled in.

Photo taken circa 1950 of Station Square, showing the water feature that was later filled in. Photo: Vik Lokie/Walker-Neesam Archive.

Then in 1992, when the area outside the Victoria Quarter remodelled, developer Speyhawk incorporated pools and fountains, but these too were later removed. 

Just over a decade ago, developer Lateral unveiled a scheme to pedestrianise Parliament Street and reroute through-traffic via a hairpin bend round the Pump Room. That scheme – which failed to find much support – also included water features at various places around town. 

Most recently, the original Harrogate Station Gateway plans envisaged water jets shooting vertically out of a plaza on Station Parade, but that part of the plan was also dropped. 

The fountains that were part of the original Victoria Shopping Centre design in 1992 were removed a few years later. Photo: Walker-Neesam Archive.

But why the recurring interest in something so apparently inessential? A nice-to-have, rather than a need-to-have? 

Well, it all comes down to identity. Look around most towns and cities and the reason for their location is usually fairly obvious. Some are on a defensible hill or a navigable inlet, and go to the heart of almost any large settlement and you’ll see a river running through it.

But spa towns are different. Towns like Harrogate have no castle, harbour or river, and their origin or purpose is not immediately obvious. A water feature, it has been argued, could remedy that, acting as a focus for Harrogate’s identity and embodying its Latin motto – arx celebris fontibus – a citadel famous for its springs.

The late Malcolm Neesam, Harrogate’s historian par excellence, clearly gave the matter a lot of thought. When asked by the Stray Ferret in 2021 how he would improve Harrogate, he included prominent fountains on his wish-list. 

He said: 

“The time is well overdue to provide Harrogate with some magnificent water features to celebrate its Spa past.” 

He described his vision: 

“Given unlimited funding, I would add something so spectacular as to make visitors arriving at the town’s centre gasp with wonderment.”

Of the gardens on Prospect Place, in front of the Yorkshire Hotel and Hotel du Vin, he said: 

“I would introduce at least four multi-bowled cascade fountains to advertise Harrogate as the original Spadacrene Anglica – the English spa fountain – which would be illuminated at night, and of such a design as to ensure the minimum side-effects from wind. Along the low row of boundary stones, which separate the gardens from the footpath, I would add a long ornamental railing, which would be attractive to the eye and useful in emphasising that pedestrians should remain on the path.”

The intention would be to announce to people coming into the town from the south: “This is a spa town. Water is why it exists”. 

At the last attempt, the general idea gained a fair amount of public support. In the second round of public consultation on Harrogate Station Gateway Public in 2021, comments mentioning the water feature element of the proposals were largely positive. A typical comment read: 

“There should be a public fountain like in European cities. Water features are great for well-being.” 

Another said: 

“These are fantastic and interactive. They have been very successful in places like Kings Cross, Manchester and Bradford. Please include this in the final scheme.” 

The fountains in City Park, Bradford. Photo: Creative Commons/Phil Champion.

But some were less enthusiastic, for example: 

“Water features especially usually attract litter and anti-social behaviour (see Bradford and its lake, for example). Too many of schemes like this just produce what looks like clutter in reality, as opposed to pretty impressions.” 

Another gave it a firm “no”, adding: 

“It would be very difficult to prevent children getting wet and Harrogate is a windy town, so spray would blow all over.” 

Andrew Brown, interim chair of Harrogate Civic Society, is inclined to agree. Speaking to the Stray Ferret in a personal capacity, he said: 

“I was not a fan of that proposal. I quite like the idea of waterjets in public places, but Station Square was not the right location. It’s a relatively small space and fairly shadowed, even in the summer.” 

But he does like the broader idea. He said: 

“It would be very appropriate for Harrogate to have one or more water features, but it would very much depend on what form it would take. It could take many forms in different locations, and its form might also be influenced by its location.” 

Sites other than Station Square and Prospect Gardens could feasibly include the area around the Cenotaph, Montpellier Gardens, Crescent Gardens (in front of the old council offices) and the heart of the shopping district, where Cambridge Street opens up into Market Place. 

For Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID (business improvement district), the idea could provide a welcome – and Continental – boost to Harrogate’s social and cultural life. He said: 

“We’d be fully in support of such a proposal that celebrates the heritage and traditions of Harrogate. 

“If we look at some of the highest-performing European cities, they all have an excellent public realm offer. Cities like Rome, Krakow and Paris all have main squares where people can congregate, and where different partners – policing, the council, street cleansing – all work together towards a shared vision. Harrogate needs that too.” 

Cllr Sam Gibbs, who represents the Valley Gardens & Central Harrogate Division on North Yorkshire Council, is more measured in his enthusiasm for the notion, but ultimately open to suggestions. He said: 

“It’s not a terrible idea, but it would really depend on where it was, how much it would cost, and who would be responsible for it.

“I supported the original plans for the Station Gateway, and a key part of that was improvements like these to the public realm.

“I’m all for things that smarten up the town centre. If we can attract more footfall and encourage people to stay here, that can only be a good thing.”

He added:

“If it’s part of a wider conversation about how we encourage people into the town, as far as I’m concerned, nothing’s off the table.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Station Gateway plans now not set to be released until summer
• Harrogate set for colourful fountains and WiFi-charging benches
• Malcolm Neesam: How I’d unlock the potential of Crescent Gardens

This week, we have a selection of photographs showcasing some Christmas scenes across the Harrogate district taken in the December snow.

Photo of the Week will take centre stage from January 2 in our new-look nightly email newsletter. The newsletter drops into your inbox every evening at 6pm with all the day’s stories and more. 
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Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

The new councillor for Masham and Fountains has vowed to “make a difference” as she takes up her role.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister  won 1,349 votes in yesterday’s by-election in the Masham and Fountains division, called following the death of Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson last year.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister, who holds the title Countess of Swinton and owns the Swinton Estate, won the seat on North Yorkshire County Council at the second time of asking after coming second as an independent to Cllr Atkinson last year.

She said she was “really, really, really happy” to win, adding:

“I was hopeful it would turn my way. There’s a lot to do and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

She was supported at the count by veteran Harrogate councillors Pat Marsh and Philip Broadbank, as well as two of the party’s 2022 intake, Ripon Ure Bank & Spa councillor Barbara Brodigan and Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale councillor Andrew Murday.

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister receiving congratulations from fellow Liberal Democrats at the count in Ripon

Cllr Cunliffe-Lister added:

“It’s great that hopefully the tide is turning for the Lib Dems and people are recognising we are really effective in local government. We can make a difference and get things done.”

The count was held in Ripon last night and the result announced around midnight, along with the turnout of of 35.52%.

The victory for the Lib Dems means the Tories now have a majority of just two, although they are still far and away the largest party with 46 councillors.

The Lib Dems are the second largest party with 13 councillors.

Conservative Brooke Hull, the only other candidate in the by-election, said national issues played into the minds of voters.

She also criticised “mud-slinging” from the Liberal Democrats, including an accusation she was trying to distance herself from the Conservative Party in her campaign leaflets.

Ms Hull paid tribute to the former councillor Margaret Atkinson and said her legacy in the area will be remembered.

“I’m sad for Margaret. I would have liked to have won for her family. She’ll be remembered for what she did and her legacy. We all know she was a fantastic councillor.”

This week’s photograph was taken by John Shepherd, capturing the moon shining over Fountains Abbey at the Christmas illumination night.

John Shepherd

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

Tributes have been paid to Kirkby Malzeard councillor Margaret Atkinson, who has died.

Cllr Atkinson represented the Fountains and Ripley ward on Harrogate Borough Council, which she was elected to in 2018.

She was also recently re-elected to North Yorkshire County Council and was appointed chair of the authority this year.

Conservative leader of the borough council, Cllr Richard Cooper, described her as “the kind of person who lifted a room”.

He said:

“It was such a shock to learn of the sudden passing of Margaret.

“It is hard to imagine a council without her unfailing cheerfulness. She was just the kind of person who lifted a room somehow.

“I know too that she was admired and respected in the communities she represented – a real champion of the farming community.

“The thoughts of all her colleagues are with her husband Mike and their family at this time.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:

“Margaret’s passing is such sad and tragic news, and a huge loss to not just the county council, but North Yorkshire as a whole.

“Margaret’s passion and drive for the county was second to none, and she embraced the role of the council’s chair with the verve and integrity that she became renowned for.

“She was very interested in all the people and groups she met, especially those in the rural communities we serve, as she came from those communities herself, and was a great champion of rural affairs.”

Cllr Atkinson was elected to the county council for the first time in 2013, where she represented the Masham and Fountains division.

Read more:

• ‘Tough cookie’ Masham councillor becomes final chair of county council
• ‘No plan or intention’ to sell Starbeck Baths, says council

She retained her seat at the local elections in May this year.

The same month she was appointed as the last chair of the county council before it was due to become North Yorkshire Council.

Being appointed chair of the county council this year.

She was described by her colleagues as a “tough cookie” ahead of her appointment.

Fellow Conservative county councillor Cllr Nick Brown told the Stray Ferret she would be sorely missed.

He said:

“She was hugely respected in her area and she was a hard working and determined lady who did good things for her constituents.

“She will be badly missed.”

A life in farming 

Cllr Atkinson was a semi-retired farmer and also the secretary of the Yorkshire and North-East branch of the British Charolais Cattle Society.

She was also a member of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’s joint advisory committee.

Born into the well-known Stockil family, her grandparents had farmed at Kiplin and Brompton-on-Swale. She grew up on a farm at North Stainley, near Ripon, with three older brothers and a younger sister.

Initially working in the accounts department at ICI Harrogate, she then attended agricultural college and set up her own agricultural secretarial business, providing services to farming communities across Yorkshire.

Through her charity work, Cllr Atkinson supported cancer research, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a farming charity, the Addington Fund.

Cllr Atkinson, who lived in Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, leaves a husband, Michael, three children and five grandchildren.

The new chair of North Yorkshire County Council said she is a “tough cookie” as she was sworn in for the final year of the authority.

Conservative councillor Margaret Atkinson, who represents Masham and Fountains division, was yesterday appointed as the last ever chair of the county council before it is replaced by a new unitary authority next year.

She takes over from Ripon councillor Stuart Martin, who served as chair for the previous 12 months.

Cllr Atkinson at yesterday’s meeting.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Atkinson said it was a “great honour” to take on the role.

She said: 

“I’m quite excited – it is the last year of the county council so there is a lot of work to do and a lot of effort to be put in by everybody.

“I want to say many thanks to Cllr Martin for everything he did.

“I probably have some big boots to fill, but I haven’t got very big feet.”

Cllr Atkinson, who described herself as “Yorkshire through and through”, has served nine years on the county council and 20 years on Harrogate Borough Council.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Independents vow to stand again
• North Yorkshire’s new top politicians named

She is a semi-retired farmer and also secretary of the Yorkshire and North East branch of the British Charolais Cattle Society.

At a full county council meeting yesterday, Bentham and Ingleton councillor David Ireton became the new deputy chairman.

The Conservative councillor will take on the chairmanship of the new North Yorkshire Council next year when the county council and seven district and borough councils are abolished.

Also at yesterday’s meeting, Conservative county council leader Carl Les was re-elected into the role.

He appointed a new 10-person executive, which faces the challenge of mapping out the creation of the new North Yorkshire Council before it takes over control of all council services across England’s largest county from April next year.

A Harrogate councillor will this week make a third attempt to win final approval to build a new countryside home after her previous plans were refused over size concerns.

Margaret Atkinson, a Conservative who represents the Fountains and Ripley ward on Harrogate Borough Council, was granted outline permission for a four-bedroom farmhouse opposite her existing home in Kirkby Malzeard in 2019.

But she has since made two failed attempts to secure a final go-ahead.

Her plans were previously refused because officers said she could not justify why the property needed to be so big.

However, cllr Atkinson has now submitted a scaled-back application, which has been recommended for approval at a meeting on Thursday.

A report to the meeting said the property – which is classed as a farm workers dwelling – had been reduced in size by around 75.5 square metres.

It said:

“The proposed dwelling provides for four-bedroom accommodation as per the previous application but the overall floorspace has been reduced from 276 sq m to 199.5 sq m.

“The revised proposal provides a dwelling that is considered to be of a scale and level of accommodation commensurate with that of an agricultural workers dwelling.”

The report added while the farmhouse was still larger than government’s nationally described space standards, which recommended up to 124 sq m, this was only guidance and the size was justified by the amount of space needed for farm work.

Read more:

• Harrogate councillor’s country home plan deferred over concern it’s too big
• Sight-impaired Ripon man calls for council boss to intervene over pavement cafe

As well as four bedrooms, cllr Atkinson’s plans also include a living room, dining room, kitchen, sunroom, office, storage space and two-bay carport.

Other reasons for refusal previously given by officers were a negative impact on the surrounding countryside and that the farmhouse would not have been affordable to any future owners because of its size.

The scale and layout of a proposed garden area was also a concern, as well as a lack of “suitable planting species and mix”.

However, the report to Thursday’s meeting said these areas had now been addressed in the new application. It said:

“The overall layout and design of the proposed property is considered to be in keeping with the local area and would not have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“The proposed landscaping scheme sets out a clear delineation of the domestic curtilage from the wider landscape and the proposed planting  provides opportunities for biodiversity net gain and a suitable level of screening.”

Kirkby Malzeard, Laverton and Dallowgill Parish Council did not support or object to the latest application, but did ask for reassurances over highway safety, future development on the site and the impact on the countryside.