First look at new cafe in Harrogate at RHS Harlow Carr after stunning project which was years in the making

The major renovation had been billed in advance as the opening of a new cafe for visitors to the beautiful gardens.

But it soon emerged to be a lot more than that as Harrogate Mayor Coun Michael Harrison cut the ribbon.

The transformation of the Grade II listed Harrogate Arms, which first opened in 1844, is just the centre piece of a wider project which impressively restores the historical links between the building and gardens, while also championing plot to plate dining in the brand new cafe.

Speaking at today’s launch at RHS Harlow Carr on Crag Lane in Harrogate, Clare Matterson, director-general of the Royal Horticultural Society, said she was excited to see the project come to fruition.

"It is so wonderful to see the results of everyone’s hard work.

"It’s been worth the wait.

"We’ve taken an under-developed area of the gardens and opened it out.

"There have been many challenges to overcome, from the constraints of working on a listed building to the wet landscape caused by the weather.

"As well as ensuring the sustainability of the project, the new cafe will offer freshly-picked ingredients from our own kitchen garden.”

Now freshly cleaned up and brought back to life, The Harrogate Arms played a key part in Harrogate’s spa heyday when it was a hotel with a separate bath house.

Opened by the Northern Horticultural Society in 1950, the RHS has gradually transformed the gardens since it merged with the society in 2001.

The Harrogate Arms, which was renowned in the 1990s as a pub and live venue and once saw rock band Terrorvision perform in its car park, is its biggest shake-up so far.

Since acquiring the site several years ago, the RHS has been working hard to restore the premises and transform it into a new café with indoor and outdoor seating on the terrace.

More than that, it wanted to integrate the Harrogate Arms into the general gardens for the first time in decades.

Although the wet weather mean there is still some planting and soft landscaping to do, the end result for visitors coming through Harlow Carr Gardens’ main entrance and looking across the extended vista to the right is breathtaking.

The completed project not only provides a new facility for visitors, it has also reshaped the entire look of the gardens for the better, adding approximately two acres to the vibrant landscape.

Talking to the Harrogate Advertiser, Liz Thwaite, Head of RHS Garden Harlow Carr, said: “The project has given new breathing space to the gardens, as well as a great new cafe.

"The emphasis in the cafe is on being a little fresh and funky.

"It's bright and welcoming and perfectly complements Bettys Cafe Team Rooms on site which already has such a wonderful offer for visitors.”

A project years in the making, the different teams involved have given it their all.

The new kitchen and serving area at the Harrogate Arms has been designed by Marshall Catering Equipment, a long-standing firm based in Knaresborough.

There at this morning’s launch were its director Jonathan Skinner and its project manager Simon Dibbs.

Both looked proud as punch.