Harrogate & Knaresborough Cultural Venues
Find out more about North Yorkshire’s Culture venues, the Mercer Art Gallery and Royal Pump Room Museum in Harrogate, and Knaresborough Castle & Courthouse Museum.
Mercer Art Gallery
Promenade in the footsteps of early spa visitors at the Mercer Art Gallery. Visit the exciting programme of changing exhibitions, from Harrogate’s Fine Art Collection to new shows of contemporary art.
Built 200 years ago as the Promenade Rooms, this magnificent building was a place for spa visitors to socialise. It later became a theatre, then Town Hall, before its rebirth as the Mercer Art Gallery in 1991.
You will find a wide range of ever-changing exhibitions, perhaps a national touring show of painting, photography, sculpture and crafts, or an exhibition drawn from the Harrogate District Fine Art Collection, and contemporary work by regional artists.
Entry is free.
Royal Pump Room Museum
Visit the strongest sulphur wells in Europe, where over 15,000 people used to ‘take the waters’ every summer.
Discover what politicians and famous writers of the 19th and 20th centuries thought of their visits to Harrogate. Stroll past the museum’s displays of old-fashioned shops, a hotel, and Harrogate’s famous park, the Stray, to explore Harrogate’s spa history.
Knaresborough Castle & Courthouse Museum
A stronghold of medieval kings, Knaresborough Castle is beautifully set, overlooking the River Nidd.
It may seem peaceful now, but Knaresborough Castle was once a mighty stronghold of medieval kings. Take in the awe-inspiring views and then discover the dungeon, ancient graffiti and the special King’s Chamber.
Inside the Courthouse Museum you’ll find tales of local characters including Blind Jack, Guy Fawkes and Mother Shipton. You’ll also find the rare, original Tudor court room where suspected criminals faced public trial.
Current Exhibitions
We Think the World of You
People and Dogs Drawn Together
Mercer Art Gallery – 11 May until 29 September 2024
Drawings exploring relationships that develop between dogs and their owners by David Remfry MBE RA.
Eva Leigh Walker
Mercer Art Gallery – 11 May until 29 September 2024
Exquisite portraits by a little-known Harrogate artist capture faces from the 1920s and 30s.
Power and Identity: Five Women Filmmakers
The works of five contemporary women filmmakers
Mercer Art Gallery – 1 September until 30 September
The five films explore themes such as colonial legacies, nation building, diaspora, the ethics of representation, and the impact of war.
Regular Activities
Mercer Art Gallery
- Mercer Make & Take Family Crafts – Wednesdays during School Holidays
- Family activities. Draw your favourite dog and add to our Paw-trait wall, read a doggy story and try our 299 dogs jigsaw. – Every day until 29 Sept
- Dogs welcome at the gallery! – Sundays until 29 Sept
- Gallery Talks – Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 11am & 3pm, during School Holidays
Royal Pump Room Museum
- Museum Collection Object Handling – Thursdays during School Holidays
- Guided Tours – Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 10am & 2pm, during School Holidays
Knaresborough Castle & Courthouse Museum
- Every day during School Holidays– Hands-on Fun Family Activities in the Courthouse Museum & follow a Museum Trail.
Key info:
- Free entry and activities at Mercer Art Gallery.
- Activities included with entry price at Royal Pump Room Museum and Knaresborough Castle & Courthouse Museum.
- Please check times and availability directly with the venues before travelling.