Royal Pump Room Museum

About the museum

The Royal Pump Room was built in 1842 over the Old Sulphur Well, the spring that helped make Harrogate a fashionable spa town. Guests came to drink the sulphur water, and the building also served as a place to meet and socialise in all weathers. A glazed annexe was added in 1913, and the Grade II* listed building stands opposite the Valley Gardens.

The Pump Room was renovated in the early 1950s and opened as the town museum in 1953. A larger refurbishment between 1985 and 1987 restored the copper roof, the wellhead of the Old Sulphur Well and the original water-serving counter, and created new exhibition spaces. The museum is owned and run by North Yorkshire Council.

Most displays tell the story of Harrogate as a spa and a centre of rest and recovery, from the discovery of its mineral springs to its heyday and the spa treatments that continued into the twentieth century. Recreated treatment rooms use salvaged original fittings, and a wheeled bath and a Victorian bath chair show how treatments and travel worked. The council-owned collection of about 20,000 items also includes costume, jewellery, social history and antiquities, shown within a reimagined Victorian street and the restored 1842 Pump Room.

Highlights

• Old Sulphur Well, described as the strongest sulphur spring in Europe
• Restored 1842 Pump Room with its original serving counter
• Recreated spa treatment rooms and Vichy bath displays
• Reimagined Victorian street
• Costume, jewellery and social history collections

Permanent exhibition

• Harrogate spa history – The story of Harrogate's mineral springs and spa heritage, with recreated treatment rooms, the Old Sulphur Well and the restored Pump Room.

Founded

1953

Operated by

North Yorkshire Council

Admission & discounts

Season tickets are available for the Royal Pump Room Museum and Knaresborough Castle.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Level access throughout the museum, with automatic entrance doors, and the museum is described as pushchair-friendly throughout. A hearing loop is available. One designated accessible parking bay is near the museum. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

A family ticket covers any group of up to five people. The museum is pushchair-friendly throughout.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum shares its building with the Harrogate tourist information centre.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The 1842 Room, a restored Victorian interior with its original serving bar, or the entire museum can be hired for private events, receptions, talks and company away-days. Enquiries to venueshire@northyorks.gov.uk.

Plan your visit