Press release issued : 8 June 2017
New Harrogate tourist guide
Harrogate town centre and the iconic Valley Gardens are home to many sculptures and installations but up to now there has been no definitive guide for tourists to follow.
That has been put right thanks to Harrogate in Bloom member Angela Henson who has produced a new Sculpture and Installation trail.
The trail details work as old as Queen Victoria's 1887 Golden Jubilee statue in Station Gardens, right up 2014 when local artist Caryl Hallett created and donated a bespoke piece of stained glass celebrating the Harrogate Grand Depart of the Tour de France. The trail also features another recent generous bequest of an early 20th century statue 'La Douche'. Sculpted by the notable Charles Raphael Peyre, that bequest was made in honour of Mrs Mehroo Jehangir the daughter of the late Sir Dhunjibhoy and his wife Lady Frainy Bomanji all great Harrogate benefactors.
Angela Henson thanks the Harrogate Civic Society for their support while she was compiling the guide and for financial assistance to have it designed and printed. She added: "These pieces are made in every media from glass to copper, to steel and stone and the chainsaw carvings on tree trunks on Montpellier Hill and the Valley Gardens mean trees beyond their natural life are still giving pleasure.
"We decided that we wanted something new to show the Britain in Bloom judges and as time is tight on judging day we came up with the idea of this trail which I hope visitors will enjoy using and learning more about artwork in Harrogate's public parks and gardens.
Harrogate is one of just seven towns in the country to have been chosen by the national judges to enter the prestigious category of Champion of Champions and the only town in Yorkshire. By brilliant synergy we will be judged on Yorkshire Day 1 August.
Champion of Champions pits the best against the best. Harrogate will be up against Aberdeen, Elswick (Lancashire), Hillsborough (Ireland) Oldham (Greater Manchester) Portishead (South West) and St Peter Port Guernsey.
Copies of the sculpture trail are available from Tourist Information Centres or you can download it by clicking the pdf icon below.
Photo 1: Angela Henson at the Garden Pavilion in Crescent Gardens with Cupid and Psyche.
Photo 2: 'La Douche' by Charles Raphael Peyre.
