Upcoming Events

Charlotte Simons from the Trust, who will give the talk, is an agricultural scientist with experience of agri-environment schemes, project management and stakeholder engagement. She hosts the Dales to Vales Rivers Network – the catchment partnership for the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Ouse, and Wharfe rivers in Yorkshire. Charlotte has a particular interest in developing partnerships through community engagement and conservation projects

The talk will give an overview of the Trust, the work it does and more specifically an introduction to the iNidd project - the Trust's newest project which will be using the results of the Citizen Science water testing that Nidd Action Group and YDRT carried out last year to identify key areas for action that will improve water quality, biodiversity and improve fish habitat along the Nidd.


The Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust was established in 2004 as a Registered Charity, working to enhance and protect the rivers of the Yorkshire Dales for the benefit of everyone. By working in partnership with landowners, businesses, land managers and the public, they aim to care for the rivers, streams and catchments of the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Wharfe and Ouse as sources of pure water, as habitats for aquatic and other wildlife, and as havens of quiet recreation for anglers and everyone to enjoy.

As a follow up to our talk from The Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust we have arranged a visit to Yorkshire Water’s treatment works at Headingley. This will take place from 9 45 till 11 45 on Wednesday July 3rd. There will be an overview of Yorkshire Water, a water treatment presentation and a guided tour of the site.

Parking on site is limited and we ask that visitors car share as much as possible when coming onto the site. There is off street parking locally should this be needed.

All Society members are invited to our next coffee morning, our fourth get-together at this venue since last July. New members are especially welcome, and all members are encouraged to bring along friends who may wish to join the Society. We meet upstairs, and a lift is available. Self-pay for eats-n-drinks. No need to book, just pop in and enjoy the company in a relaxed and comfy setting!

A private guided tour of Markenfield Hall. This 14th/15th century moated house remains in private ownership, with knowledgeable volunteers providing tours covering its colourful history including involvement (on the Catholic side) in The Rising of the North, its subsequent decline into being barely habitable in the 1960s, and its painstaking restoration from the 1980s onwards. There will, or course, be tea and cake.

Numbers are limited so please book as soon as possible by emailing events@harrogatecivicsociety.org.

Car sharing would be welcome so please let us know if you can offer a lift/need a lift.

Dr. Alan Gould, secretary and treasurer of the Bilton Historical Society, and Harrogate Civic Society member, will give a talk at St John’s Church Bilton on the life of John Sheepshanks (1834-1912), an austere High Church Anglican and the third vicar of the church.

John was a distant relative of the church’s founder, William Sheepshanks, and a pioneering missionary during the Canadian Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s when he made epic journeys across North America, the Pacific and Asia. He married whilst in Bilton and started a family before moving to Anfield, Liverpool as the incumbent of St Margaret’s, where he founded a school. He had seventeen children, wrote several books and was noted for his pastoral work and attention to his clergy. He finally became Bishop of Norwich.

Dr. Gould was born and bred in Bilton, went to Bilton Endowed School, Ashville College and studied at Nottingham University. He has recently retired and returned to Harrogate after a world-wide career in the chemical industry.

Teas and coffees will be available (for a donation to church funds) from 6:45pm. There will be a short informal tour of the church from 7:00pm and the talk will begin at 7:30pm.

Our December seasonal social gathering will take place at St Wilfrid's Church Hall from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm. Expect wine, soft drinks, tea, coffee and, of course, mince pies and Christmas cake .

More details nearer the time.

There is some parking in the church car park (accessed from Duchy Road) and unrestricted parking on Duchy Rd and side roads. Watch out for uneven surfaces in the car park please.

This will be an illustrated talk by Chris Dicken, who leads the HCS Plaques sub-group.

Back in 2019, after seeing a report about a plaque unveiling in the local press, Chris decided to go on a mission to see all the plaques in Harrogate. This led on to him cataloguing and recording them all and eventually to producing the plaques website. Interested in making the plaques more accessible to local residents and visitors alike, Chris also devised the now popular walking trails and maps and then persuaded his son to develop an Android App for the trails.

The talk will give an insight into the history of the plaques, how each new plaque comes into being and will illustrate many of the plaques and the themes therein. Perhaps even a few nuggets of knowledge about Harrogate that you may not know. Chris is no historian, so it won't be a in depth look at Harrogate's history, but rather a pointer to some of the interesting places and people of our town.

Elizabeth Smith, Public Engagement Coordinator (North East) for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, will give a talk and presentation to members about the history of the CWGC and its work today. Elizabeth has in the past welcomed members on tours at Stonefall Cemetery and is a regular host of Heritage Open Days events there.

The presentation starts with how the Commission began and its work during the First and Second World Wars, and concludes with its work today in maintaining and preserving its historic estate around the world. The presentation will also mention some of the war graves closer to home and tell the stories of some of those that the Commission commemorates.

Teas and coffees will be available from 7:00pm and the presentation will begin at 7:30pm. There will be an opportunity for members to make a donation to support the work of the Commission.

A talk by Nicola Pullan:
Assistant Curator of Leeds and Social History, Leeds Museums and Abbey House Museum Kirkstall

Based on research from her archive held at Leeds Museums and Galleries, the talk will be a chance to explore the life of Suffragette Leonora Cohen. It will be a chance to learn more about her early life, her
suffrage activity in Leeds, her move to Harrogate, and what she went on to do after winning the vote.