Royal Hall

The Royal Hall stands in Harrogate, a spa town in North Yorkshire. It began in 1903 as the Kursaal, built where the Cheltenham Pump Room once stood. Local engineer Samson Fox led the benefactors who funded the project. The architects were Robert Beale and Frank Matcham, a leading theatre designer of the period. Matcham’s work drew on the Ostend Kursaal in Belgium, a grand European spa building. After World War I the name changed to Royal Hall to reflect wartime feeling. The building matters because it shows how Harrogate turned from spa water to events. In the 1950s it became a cinema, then helped make the town a conference centre. By 1997 the hall needed repair and English Heritage listed it as at risk. A restoration trust raised £10.7 million, helped by Edward Fox, a great-grandson of Samson Fox. Prince Charles reopened the hall in January 2008 after the dress circle and interior were restored. Inside, visitors find an ornate auditorium with a restored dress circle. The hall hosts Harrogate International Festivals, begun in 1966, and J.K. Rowling appeared there in 2014. Each summer the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival fills the hall for three weeks. Dozens of amateur troupes compete, while professional shows play at weekends. Fringe events spill into Harrogate Theatre and other nearby venues.