Royal Pump Room Museum

Visit the strongest sulphur wells in Europe, where over 15,000 people used to come every summer.

Discover Harrogate's connection to Russian royalty and what politicians and famous writers of the 19th and 20th century thought of their visits.

UPDATE:  The Royal Pump Room Museum is now closed until further notice, we look forward to welcoming you back when we reopen. 

Stroll past the museum's displays of old-fashioned shops, a hotel and Harrogate's famous park, the Stray, to explore life in bygone Harrogate.

Marvel at our Egyptian treasures and discover how science is helping us find out more about them.

Take a deep breath and smell the waters for yourself on one of our daily well tours

Royal Pump Room Museum history:

The Royal Pump Room was built by Isaac Shutt in 1842 to provide shelter for the town’s affluent visitors as they took the famous waters.

At its peak, each summer the Pump Room attracted 15,000 people.

Among its most famous visitors was Tsarina Alexandra of Russia in 1911.

The annexe was added in 1913 to cater for the expanding visitor numbers, and now houses the permanent exhibition and the museum shop.

The Pump Room attracted fewer visitors after the Second World War and with the emergence of the National Health Service the ‘curing’ waters were not taken as frequently and eventually the doors were closed.

On May 22nd 1953 the Royal Pump Room was reopened as a museum.

The museum is operated by Harrogate Museums and Arts, Harrogate Borough Council.

The museum has a changing temporary exhibition programme and permanent displays of Harrogate’s spa-history.