Royal Pump Room Museum

About Royal Pump Room Museum

Visit the strongest sulphur wells in Europe, where over 15,000 people used to come every summer.  Discover Harrogate's connection to Russian royalty and what politicians and famous writers of the 19th and 20th century thought of their visits.

Stroll past the museum's displays of old-fashioned shops, a hotel and Harrogate's famous park, the Stray, to explore life in bygone Harrogate.

Royal Pump Room Museum history:

The Royal Pump Room was built by Isaac Shutt in 1842 to provide shelter for the town’s affluent visitors as they took the famous waters.   At its peak, each summer the Pump Room attracted 15,000 people.

Among its most famous visitors was Tsarina Alexandra of Russia in 1911.  The annexe was added in 1913 to cater for the expanding visitor numbers, and now houses the permanent exhibition and the museum shop.

The Pump Room attracted fewer visitors after the Second World War and with the emergence of the National Health Service the ‘curing’ waters were not taken as frequently and eventually the doors were closed.

On May 22nd 1953 the Royal Pump Room was reopened as a museum.

In 2024, a £20,000 restoration has restored this Georgian marvel to its former glory. Once a refuge for those seeking Harrogate’s healing waters, the Pump Room now features a relocated decorative fountain and a light-filled cream-toned interior designed to evoke the elegance of the Victorian era.

The museum has a changing temporary exhibition programme and permanent displays of Harrogate’s spa-history.