State of the art: Harrogate’s boom in independent galleries

If you have wandered around Harrogate, you may have noticed a boom in the number of independent art galleries in the town.

In recent years, at least three have launched, including Messums Yorkshire, Watermark Gallery, and Bils and Rye.

And this is in the addition to the established galleries in the town, such as the Mercer, Silson Contemporary, RedHouse Originals and York Fine Arts – to name but a few.

All have proved to be a major draw for both artists and collectors, with many placing an emphasis on promoting Northern talent.

Silsen Contemporary Art Gallery, based at Sarah Collier’s home on Harlow Oval.

Liz Hawkes, director of Watermark Gallery, which opened on the historic Royal Parade in March 2020, said:

“I think there are lots of reasons why Harrogate is great for art. There is the town’s antiques and art heritage.

“There’s also Yorkshire’s art heritage. From Hockney to Hirst, you have got very well-known Yorkshire artists. This area is very well-served by local artists who love to come here and paint, because it’s so beautiful.

“A lot of people also love to visit Harrogate and it’s a very affluent area, with lots of residents who like to buy art.”

Liz, who owns the gallery with her husband Richard, said all the galleries in the town offered something completely different, from ultra-modern contemporary art to traditional Victorian watercolours.

She said:

“You’ve got some fabulous galleries. Each have their own identity.

“We have 57 artists across all media, which is the main point of difference for us.

“Not everybody is always in the market for a painting, but you might pop in for some ceramics or jewellery.

“I think the other thing about us is accessibility. We have really focused on making this gallery accessible to all people. So many people find galleries intimidating.”

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Liz explained that art had become more accessible than ever in recent years thanks to the Own Art scheme. The national initiative makes buying contemporary art and craft affordable by providing interest-free credit for the purchase of original work.

The Watermark gallery is holding six exhibitions this year, with the next, Off the Beaten Track, featuring Yorkshire ceramicist Michele Bianco and Scottish-based Swiss painter, Pascale Rentsch, planned in March.

A number of workshops, courses and lectures will also take place in the studio space at the back of the gallery.

The Watermark Gallery. 

Liz said:

“I think the days of dusty old galleries have gone. The modern gallery is one where things are happening. It’s interactive and fun.”

Johnny Messum, director of Messums Yorkshire, also known as Messums Harrogate and Messums North, agrees that the town is a perfect location to showcase artistic talent.

After an extended stay on James Street following a successful temporary pop-up exhibition in 2020, Messums is moving out of the building at the end of this month.

However, the contemporary art dealer is hoping to find another location in Harrogate and is currently looking for a new site.

Photograph: @messumsyorkshire, Instagram

He said:

“We really want to stay, we just need to find the right venue. We hold very good relationships with our collector base here and have a strong presence in Yorkshire.

“Harrogate is a great place to act as a lightening rod for drawing attention to creativity in the area.”

Johnny said the quality of the art and the number of galleries in Harrogate attracted to people to the town, with many collectors making a special visit.

The gallery’s most recent exhibition, Routes North, has just come to an end, which brought together multiple artists whose work reflects the variety and vibrancy of the region, from Knaresborough to Newcastle.

The exhibition represented the first presentation in the North of this programme, which has been championing emerging talent across Messums sister galleries in London and Wiltshire for the last five years.

It’ also set out to prove that that all roads don’t lead to London when it comes to the quality of work and artistic talent.

Johnny said:

“What’s driving the future of our stay in Yorkshire is that the creativity of the art produced in the area is really exciting.”

Work by Jill Tate and James Thompson at the Routes North exhibition. Photograph: Messums Yorkshire.

Harrogate MP silent after saying scrapping HS2 would ‘betray the north’

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has so far remained silent on the expected scrapping of plans to extend the HS2 line from Birmingham to Leeds.

The former rail minister has been a vocal advocate of the project. In February 2019, he said that it would be a “betrayal of the north” if it did not go ahead.

However, government sources briefed national media outlets over the weekend about the decision ahead of an expected announcement on Thursday.

Just two months ago Mr Jones reiterated his support for HS2 at the annual Transport for the North conference in Leeds. He said:

“I hope that we do not see any compromise on our desire for big investment in our infrastructure. We have failed spectacularly to invest enough in our infrastructure.

“This has meant it is now too expensive and too difficult to move people and goods around the country. So I do not support the argument that we need to abandon longer term infrastructure investment.”

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At a previous Transport for the North conference in February 2019, Mr Jones went further and criticised media outlets for reporting speculation over the future of the HS2 Birmingham to Leeds line.

“We have all probably seen some media reports claiming that the northern stages of HS2 might not be built. They are nonsense.

“HS2 was conceived, developed and is now being delivered as a national railway. But in particular to improve links for our area.

“So our commitment to the full network of HS2 is undiminished. To cancel anything would be a betrayal of the north.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones for his thoughts this morning. However, he did not reply to our request for comment by the time of publication.

Police say missing girl, 14, may be in Harrogate

Police searching for a missing Halifax teenager have said she might be in Harrogate.

Officers are asking for the public’s help to trace Monika Molnar, 14, who was last seen leaving her home on Monday at about 8.40pm.

Police describe her disappearance as out of character.

A West Yorkshire Police statement today said:

“Extensive enquiries have been made since Monika was reported missing and she is known to have links to the North Yorkshire area and Harrogate in particular.

“It is believed she may have travelled to that area.”

Monika was last seen wearing black trousers and trainers and a cream coat. She was carrying a large dark blue rucksack.

Detective Inspector Simon Archer, of Calderdale District Safeguarding, said:

“It is now been nearly three days since Monika went missing and we are becoming increasingly concerned for her.

“I want to appeal directly to Monika or anyone who sees her or who has information about her to get in contact.”

If you have any information about Monika contact Calderdale CID via 101.

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£589m invested into northern railways

A £589 million investment has been announced to start works to upgrade and electrify the Transpennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.

This is the first stage of investment to streamline the northern route. The investment is for design and enabling works to take place.

This stage will include partial electrification of the route, a new through platform at Huddersfield, and about eight miles of extra four-tracking. The introduction of four tracks in some areas will allow fast trains to overtake slower ones and improve journey times and reliability for passengers across the North.

A new Northern Transport Acceleration Council will also be established to encourage better connection across Northern towns and cities. It will also give northern leaders a direct line to ministers to try to give passengers a reliable transport network.

Brian Dunsby from the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said:

“We welcome any investment in the north it will be beneficial for commuters from Harrogate. We need the lines electrified around Harrogate, so I welcome announcements of this type but we’ll have to see the lines included in works as further announcements are made. A northern council is a positive step as long as they listen to the northern business community and local lobby groups.”

The council will be made up of mayors and council leaders and be chaired by Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary.

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The plans also include upgrades to replace thousands of diesel lorry journeys with electric freight trains.

This investment comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed over £720m investment in local transport in the North through the Transforming Cities Fund.