Short-lived glory
The spa hotel was popular for a short time, part of a much larger trend of similar establishments opening for medical and recreational purposes. After a short-lived heyday, the Harrogate Arms Hotel had difficulty encouraging visitors out of the town. Trade ultimately failed, despite the luxurious spa providing 40 to 80 baths per day, a smoking room, dining rooms, kitchens, 10 bedrooms and access to 16 acres of land, all reached by wagonette that ran once every three hours between the town centre and the hotel. Harlow Carr spa was simply unable to compete with the town centre offer, especially such grand locations as the magnificent Royal Baths which opened in 1897.
Harlow Carr Spa was acquired by Harrogate Corporation in 1912. A decade later the spa was closed and the Harlow Waters piped down the hill to the Royal Baths in Harrogate town centre. Through the 20th century the Harrogate Arms building went through various incarnations; it was a hotel, inn, nightclub, restaurant and pub, before the building finally closed to the public in 2014.
