Local History & Heritage
Harrogate district is full of history, from how life has changed in the Yorkshire Dales to the intriguing past of Knaresborough Castle to the development of Harrogate town as England's premier spa town. Why not visit the museums and galleries of the district to find out more? You can also find out more by looking at the History and Heritage attractions.
For information about local heritage, see our heritage & design pages.
Harrogate People and Places is a website looking at the people, buildings and events that have helped to develop Harrogate as we know it today.
The site consists mainly of a collection of extracts from the Harrogate newspapers and many other sources.
Ripon Local Studies Centre can be found in central Ripon and is there to help you find out more about local history, family history and the archaeology of Ripon.
Research and Archaeological Services
North Yorkshire County Council provides:
Interested in local archaeology?
Want to find out more about what's happening in community archaeology in North Yorkshire?
Want to know more about what has been found in the Harrogate area?
What do you do if you find an object?
Want to get involved?
The County Council has overall responsibility for work in this area so your first point of contact should be North Yorkshire's Heritage Section.
Their contact details are:
Heritage Section
Planning and Countryside Unit
North Yorkshire County Council
County Hall
Northallerton
DL7 8AH
Telephone 01609 780780
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Archaeological Finds
I
f you find an object that you think may be archaeological,
by chance or whilst metal detecting, you can now report it under the
Portable Antiquities Scheme.
This voluntary national scheme is recording thousands of finds each year, such as the bracelet and brooch picture here.
These finds are helping us to a greater understanding of the past.
The Regional Finds Liaison Officer for North Yorkshire is based at:
The Yorkshire Museum
Museum Gardens
York
Yorkshire
YO1 7FR
by phone on 01904 687668
by fax on 01904 687674
Local archaeological work
There are various local archaeological groups. The Claro Community Archaeological Group is a voluntary organisation based at Knaresborough Castle.
The group aims to record the historic elements of our landscape. Some of these may survive for many centuries to come, some may be altered or eliminated by future changes, but their record will act as a record of what has survived into our time.
The group are currently working on a project to record the historic landscape of Scriven and it's park. The project is funded by a grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund.
Previously they have worked in different areas of the Harrogate district, such as Fewston. and Thruscross Green.
This work involves detailed background research, such as studying maps in archives or from the Ordnance Survey. Also looked at are aerial photographs and published documentary sources to find out about any archaeological material that has been found in the past.
This is followed by field survey, where each local field is visited and a relevant record compiled. This record includes information such as land use, and historic boundaries.
Finally, all the research is combined into a final report, and may be used for future research.
Interested in joining?
Members of Claro are involved in a wide variety of tasks, such as:
- Observation of landscape
- Map reading
- Interpreting aerial photographs
- Recording data
- Computer work
New members are always welcome, and you do not need previous experience.
At present, the group meets weekly on Thursdays between 9am and 4pm.
More information is available on their website.
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Information for professional archaeologists
Before any archaeological excavation work is carried out you should consult the:
Heritage Section
Planning and Countryside Unit
North Yorkshire County Council
County Hall
Northallerton
DL7 8AH
Telephone 01609 780780
The deposition will consist of object finds and paper archive. A charge for storage of the archive will be made dependant on the quantity of material. and is currently £100 per average box.
If deposition is agreed, arrangements for giving the site a unique number will be made. Staff will expect to be kept informed as work progresses and given the chance to visit the site.
The museum service reserves the right to refuse to store material:
- where arrangements have not been made in advance
- where they are unable to accommodate the archive due to its eventual size
- or where the archive has not been provided to acceptable professional standards.