Valley Gardens, Harrogate

About Valley Gardens, Harrogate

Valley Gardens grew out of Bogs Field, an area of mineral springs in Low Harrogate where dozens of sulphur and iron-rich wells rise close together. The park was laid out in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and was extended in the following years, giving spa visitors a pleasant walk between treatments.

As the spa declined, the gardens became better known for their horticulture and later hosted the Harrogate Spring Flower Show. Today they cover 17 acres and are a Grade II listed park. North Yorkshire Council looks after them with the Friends of Valley Gardens, who lead much of the restoration work.

What to see

• The Sun Pavilion and Colonnade, built in 1933, nearly demolished in the 1980s and restored in 1998.
• The Old Magnesia Well Pump Room, a small Gothic Revival building of around 1858, now a café.
• The Japanese Garden, laid out in the 1920s and renovated in 2018, and the New Zealand Garden.
• The Rockery, the Long Garden and the Lime Tree Walk, along with the boating pond.
• The Pinewoods, wooded paths that lead on to RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

Planning your visit

The gardens sit between Valley Drive and Cornwall Road, a short walk from the centre of Harrogate, and are open at all hours. Light refreshments are available at the Magnesia Well Café. Families will find a play area, a free paddling pool in summer, crazy golf, tennis courts and a games pavilion open at weekends and in school holidays.

On summer Sunday afternoons, from late May to early September, the council runs afternoon concerts in the gardens. Most paths are suitable for wheelchair users and there are accessible toilets.