The entrance to Harlow Carr Gardens |
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| Type | Garden |
|---|---|
| Proprietor | Royal Horticultural Society |
| Size | 27.5ha |
| Main feature | Annual and perennial planting |
| Other features | Year-round special events! |
| Public access | Yes |
| Exhibition | Yes |
| Country | England |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Grid square | SE2754 |
| Address | Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire |
| Postcode | HG3 1QB |
| Refreshments | Yes |
| Parking | Yes |
| Shop | Yes |
The Royal Horticultural Society's garden Harlow Carr is one of four public gardens run by the Society. It is located on the western edge of Harrogate in the English county of North Yorkshire
The garden is the most recent addition to the RHS, acquired by the merger of the Northern Horticultural Society with the RHS in 2001. It had been the Northern Horticultural Society's trial ground and display garden since they bought it in 1946. In the year ended 31 January 2010 the garden received 217,820 visitors.
Contents |
The Garden is situated on Crag Lane, off Otley Road (B6162) about a mile and a half from the centre of Harrogate. [1]
Harlow Carr has:
It also has a shop, plant centre and[1] Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms.[2]
Springs of sulphur water were discovered on the site in the 18th century but development of the site as a spa did not take place for over a hundred years. In 1840, the owner of the estate, Henry Wright, cleaned out and protected one of the wells and four years later built a hotel and a bath house. People were charged 2s 6d (12.5 new pence) to bathe in the warm waters. The gardens were laid out around the bath house and in 1861 the site at Harlow Carr springs was described as:
a sweet secluded spot...the grounds neatly laid out, adorned with a selection of trees, shrubs, flowers, walks, easy seats and shady arbours.[1]
The hotel is now the Harrogate Arms and the bath house now houses the garden study centre. The building was converted in 1958 and contains a meeting room, the library and offices. The six well heads in front of the bath house have been capped off but remain beneath the present Limestone Rock Garden. At times there is a smell of sulphur in this area.[1]
The Northern Horticultural Society was founded in 1946 with the objective of:
promoting and developing the science, art and practice of horticulture with special reference to the conditions pertaining to the North of England.
The Society leased 10.5 hectares of mixed woodland, pasture and arable land at Harlow Hill from the Harrogate Corporation and it opened the Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens in 1950. The chief aim of the venture was to set up a trial ground where the suitability of plants for growing in northern climates could be assessed. The original 10.5 hectares has been extended to 27.5 .[1]
Geoffrey Smith, writer and broadcaster, was Superintendent of Harlow Carr from 1954–74