Upcoming Events

A look at the music of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s – Seen through the eyes of Harrogate.

The people who made the music – Harrogate based, national and international artists.

The Harrogate venues where people went to enjoy the music. Small halls hosting local semi-pro talent, to the larger venues, presenting live music from local musicians and also national and international stars.

The Beatles famously visited in 1963 to entertain the good people of Harrogate.

A band who called their second album, Valley Gardens, certainly has Harrogate at its heart.

The talk will bring back memories of some great music of that era and also listening to it in Harrogate. A walk down Harrogate’s Memory Lane…



The Speaker : DEREK SHELMERDINE

Derek’s life-long love of music led him to publish the book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled in 2016. Since then, he has made hundreds of radio guest appearances on music shows around the world, including BBC Radio York.

Derek had his own radio show, initially on a Liverpool based radio station and later, on a Canadian station.

The impact the war had on Harrogate and the impact Harrogate had on the war.

A talk by Guy Wilson.

Guy was educated at New College, Oxford, and Manchester University and spent 30 years working in the Royal Armouries before establishing his own consultancy business. For the last 15 years of his museum career he served as Master of the Armouries and led the transformation of the museum to a multiple site organisation and the creation of a new museum for the bulk of the collection in Leeds. He has published widely in the field of arms and armour studies and is currently Chair of Ripon Military Heritage Trust.

His talk about Harrogate in the Second World War will look at how the war changed Harrogate and how what happened in Harrogate helped change the course of the war. Many civil servants were relocated to the town
along with large numbers of RAF personnel. But why did they come to Harrogate, what were they doing
here, and what did they think of Harrogate? The War also brought many changes, dangers and opportunities for local residents and helped make Harrogate the town we know today.

A history of this often overlooked part of Harrogate that, in many ways, formed and fuelled the town.

A talk by Alan Gould.

Alan is the Secretary of the Bilton Historical Society.

Our annual Christmas Social. Always a great time to meet other members and chill out before Christmas.

Nearly 4 years on from the formation of our unitary authority, Richard Flinton, the Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council, will talk on how has it developed, what has it achieved and what are the priorities going forward.

Jeremy Burton will talk about the life and achievements of his grandfather Sir Montague Burton from his arrival in England as a refugee from Russian oppression in 1900 until his burial in Harrogate in 1952.

Harrogate’s urban landscape is unique, unusual and fascinating. This illustrated talk by Harrogate born geographer Michael Goodliffe will look at the history, layout and architecture of this still thriving northern town.

Speaker: Peter Holmes

The Silent War has raged continuously since the end of WW2. But what is Espionage and how does it operate? Peter, who has served as an electronic warfare operator, will also explain the role bases such as Menwith Hill play in intelligence gathering.

This beautiful house near Masham in Wensleydale, bought with its surrounding estate by the Bradford industrialist Samuel Cunliffe-Lister in the 1880s, also has a Harrogate connection as Harrogate College (later the Ladies' College) spent the years 1939 to 1946 there when the school was requisitioned by the Air Ministry.

We will have a guided tour of the house, now a country hotel, by the present owner, Mark Cunliffe-Lister, and look at an exhibition of photographs of the girls' time there.

The cost of tour and refreshments is £22.50 per head. You will need to make your own way to Swinton, about three-quarters of an hour's drive from Harrogate, car sharing where possible.

Booking arrangements will be circulated nearer the time as there are limited numbers.

Speaker: Jason Maxwell; Harrogate BID
Harrogate BID - making Harrogate the best it can be

Harrogate Business Improvement District was formed on 1st January 2019. The work of the BID aims to support, safeguard and improve Harrogate for businesses, visitors and residents alike, to make the town the best it can be.

Jason Maxwell was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026 having spent more than seven years leading Stockton BID and most recently working within the Economic Growth team at Hartlepool Borough Council.

Speaker: Harry Satloka

Join Harrogate’s resident wally in a waistcoat, Harry, to discover the crucial role Harrogate played in cycling history, where these contraptions came from; and how it resulted both in the greatest British cyclist of all time and a drunken brawl through the hotels of Harrogate.