A day out in Britain's capital of tea, smiles and poshness
I knew three things about Harrogate before arriving: it’s posh; it’s often voted one of Britain’s happiest towns; and, most importantly, tea is big business here. As the home of Yorkshire Tea, it’s one of the most tea-obsessed towns in one of the most tea-obsessed counties in one of the most tea-obsessed countries on earth.
But I have a confession to make: I’ve never had a traditional British cup of tea. I love the chichi, herbal stuff. But proper tea? Not for me. However, with today being National Tea Day, where better to sample it in all its glory than Harrogate?
Harrogate’s history as an upmarket destination precedes the founding of Charles Taylor’s tea (and coffee) business in 1886. First and foremost it’s a spa town. In 1571 a well with supposed medicinal powers was discovered. Subsequently people have flocked from all corners to sample the healing waters of the 85 springs and wells in or around the town.
My visit coincided with one of those confused British days where torrential rain and whimpering sun battle for prominence. The train station is in the heart of town, and nearly everything meaningful is reachable on foot, although everyone seemed to be heading to the same place as me.
The original Bettys tea room (there are five others, including two in York) will celebrate its centenary next year. Over three floors, tourists and locals are treated to hot beverages, which arrive on silver trays with “fat rascals” – traditional, crumbly Yorkshire cakes that sit on the scone/teacake/rock cake spectrum. I was half expecting a tea tutorial from the waitress on the Yorkshire way, but was mercifully left to my own devices.
The tea, to this novice, was... absolutely fine. At £3.55, it was, to borrow a tea adjective, steep (London prices are the norm in this corner of Yorkshire), but you pay for the experience, I suppose. Tourists gush over fancy chocolates and tea and coffee blends at the attached shop. Arrive early for a seat; by 11.30am a huge queue was, um, brewing.
Harrogate is a very pretty town. Wander out of the shopping district and you’ll find endless streets of impressive buildings, mostly of an imposing well-worn beige hue, though even the new builds have their charm. The area you’ll spend most time in is the chic Montpellier Quarter, home to 50-odd cutesy independent stores and hipster hangouts (the best being Starling for coffee and beer, and Major Tom’s Social for vintage goods).
A quick saunter from Bettys you’ll find the Royal Pump Room Museum, which celebrates the spa town’s history. You can learn of the water’s many medicinal uses, the most intriguing and disgusting of which is the sulphur water well, once used to treat scurvy, epilepsy and skin sores. Trendy Victorians would bathe in and drink the water – proof that well-being fads are nothing new. A fountain outside the museum warns “do not drink”; perhaps unnecessarily, as the water stinks. But in 1926, 1,500 glasses of it were consumed in a day.
The Valley Gardens are also worth a gander. It’s a lovely park for an afternoon promenade, complete with the calming sounds of running water – there are 35 springs and wells in the gardens alone. The park hosts several events and festivals throughout the year, and there’s a nice tea house (naturally).
If you wish to venture further out, nearby Knaresborough is a condensed Harrogate, full of charming pubs and shops. It’s home to Old Mother Shipton’s Caves, which Wikipedia informs is the oldest tourist attraction in Britain to charge entry, which I choose to believe. The caves’ main pull is the “petrifying well”, and according to the site’s brochure it can petrify a teddy bear in three to five months. Sadly, it was shut due to flooding on my visit.
Water, water is indeed everywhere around here – ideally, boiled and poured over aromatic leaves.
Five fine reasons to visit Harrogate
The church
Slap bang in the poshest part of town is St Wilfrid’s, a big old brick church that has some rather beautiful stained glass windows.
The gallery
The building was once a spot for spa visitors to congregate, but thankfully Mercer Art Gallery doesn’t smell of sulphur. It has some great exhibitions, including on my visit a collection of Brangwyn’s First World War posters.
The shop
Farrah’s Olde Sweet Shop is the flagship store for the traditional toffee brand (first made to sweeten the palate after drinking sulphur water, I’m told). It’s a very old-fashioned shop, and you’ll feel as though a golden ticket is lurking inside one of the chocolate bars.
The pub
The Old Bell is a cosy wood and leather filled pub on the site where Farrah’s toffee was once made. It has several rotating local ales – try some from Rooster’s Brewery in Knaresborough.
The hotel
The Old Swan Hotel is a faintly creepy looking building, fitting as it’s where Agatha Christie was partying while a manhunt was under way to find her. Being a celeb in the Twenties was a lot easier, clearly.
