Harrogate's Valley Gardens

The Royal Pump Room (above), now a museum, is the site of one of Harrogate's sulphur springs, the discovery of which led to its rise as a spa town from the early 1600s. This building, opened in 1842, housed a well and a pump, from which water from a spring was dispensed to customers who congregated to 'take the waters' and socialise. The glass annexe was added in 1913 to provide space for more customers but when WW1 intervened, along with changes in medical thinking, social customs and economic hardships, Harrogate's visitor numbers dropped and its popularity as a spa waned. Even now, the town has a rather wonderful Victorian Turkish Baths, still in use.

The Pump Room is situated just outside the entrance to the Valley Gardens, a spacious area of parkland formerly known as 'Bogs Field' because of the large number of mineral springs within it. It now has formal and informal planting, a lake, and various sports facilities.   

One of its treasures is the Magnesia Well Tea Room, housed in an ornate domed pavilion within the park. In truth, the inside is a little shabby and could perhaps be made more of, though I imagine it is a listed structure which will place restrictions on what can be done. It's interesting anyway, and the tea was as warm, wet and comforting as I needed on such a cold day. 

Along the top edge of the park there is a 1930s building known as the Sun Pavilion, with a long colonnade. The pavilion itself is mainly used for weddings and functions but you can walk along the Sun Colonnade, which was prettily lit with strings of lights as dusk fell. The gardens are a pleasant location for a leisurely stroll. 

There is the most incredible, twisted vine that grows along the colonnade too. I'm not sure if it's a wisteria or something else but its base looks like a sculpture.