BEHIND THE SCENES IN HARROGATE'S HEY-DAY

Members of Bishop Monkton's local history group enjoyed a talk recently on “Working Class Lives in Edwardian Harrogate” by social historian and writer, Paul Jennings.

This was a time when there was a strict class system with a clear divide between the wealthy and the poor. The wealthy enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle, while the poor and working classes lived among them, doing all the hard work. In elegant, fashionable Harrogate, it was not just the residents who had to be “looked after”, but also the many visitors.

Events Co-ordinator, Annabel Alton, has very kindly sent the website a summary of his talk.

“The talk to the history group was a fascinating insight into life in Harrogate between 1901 – 1914, when it was an internationally famous spa town attracting people from all over Europe, full of grand hotels, entertainment at the Kursaal (Royal Hall) and expensive shops.

However, “unknown Harrogate” was about the workers who provided the infrastructure there, such as transport and domestic service, some 1.7 million servants at this time.

Men and women came from surrounding villages and towns to get work in Harrogate, where the pay was better and there were plenty of job opportunities. These included people from Bishop Monkton, like Florence Vasey. one of 10 children living in Main St who, in 1911, at the age of 16, was sent off to Harrogate to go into service.

Paul Jennings gave us a taste of what male and female roles were, ranging from laundry workers, shop assistants, housemaids to butchers, railwaymen and builders and illustrated where this section of society lived and shopped in area of Harrogate quite separate from the more prestigious parts.”

Thank you Annabel.