Upcoming Events

Swinton Castle, Thursday 7 May at 12.00 - 3.00 pm.

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 £20 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.

Numbers are limited to 30 so booking is essential. Sorry - this event is now fully subscribed.

Tonight will see our AGM followed by:

This is the fascinating story of the long forgotten and controversial use of the Stray as an airfield.

A talk by Peter Rix.

Peter, the first Chair of Pannal Village Society, has a long interest in aviation and local history, and has brought his two passions together in this talk.

Church of All Saints Cemetery, Harlow Hill, Saturday 6 June at 2 pm.

All Saints was consecrated in 1871 to provide church accommodation on the west side of Harrogate and a further burial ground for the town. Over the years it became the last resting place of a fascinating and diverse range of people, including Hollywood actor Michael Rennie, painter Bernard Evans and Elizabeth Jones, long-serving headmistress of Harrogate Ladies' College.

This guided tour, led by Paul Jennings, is free to members and will take approximately and hour and a half.

Please note that Harlow Hill is an exposed location so dress accordingly. The cemetery is level ground. There is no parking, except on the road; it is on a bus route. And no toilet facilities.

Numbers are limited to 25 so booking is essential. (Booking details TBC, members will be advised when booking opens).

Tamsin O'Brien, formerly head of BBC Yorkshire and BBC North-West, is the founder and owner of the Stray Ferret, which started publication in 2020.

Hudson can be credited with the title of "The man who brought the railway to Harrogate".

A talk by Robert Beaumont.

Robert is a Yorkshire journalist, historian and author whose biography of Hudson has been called "a passionate work of genuine scholarship".

Popular music in Harrogate since the war - the people, the music and the clubs.

A talk by Derek Shelmerdine.

Derek, currently the host of two radio shows, is the famous author of "Rock 'n' Roll Unravelled".

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

A talk by Guy Wilson.

Guy, who during his many years as Master of the Royal Armouries was responsible for the creation of the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds and is currently Chair of the Ripon Military Heritage Trust.

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.