The Royal Hall in the glamorous roaring twenties has been captured in the latest artwork commissioned by the Royal Hall Restoration Trust.
Yorkshire based artist David Venables has produced a brand new mural showing the view you would have seen from the balcony at the rear of the town’s iconic building in the days when it had a popular rose garden.
Members of European Royal Families strolled here with other spa visitors. They enjoyed not just the flora and fauna but also stylish statuary including one of Cupid and Psyche which is currently on display in the Crescent Gardens pavilion.
The rose garden was also home to other leisure pursuits including tennis courts which once played host to Wimbledon legend Fred Perry (1909 –1995).
Russell Davidson, Chair of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust said:
The style David adopted is that of the 1920s railway posters. This mural now has pride of place behind the refreshment bar in the Hall’s south corridor.
We know from visitor feedback that people are bowled over by the Hall’s golden interior which was restored to its former glory with an £11m makeover in 2008.
But they are also interested in exhibits in the Heritage Lounge which show the building when it was an important part of the holistic approach to ‘taking the waters’ when visitors also wanted to enjoy the town’s cultural, social and entertainment life.
The Trust’s aim is to continually improve the Royal Hall for the enjoyment of visitors and locals alike.
We are in early negotiations with Harrogate Borough Council, which manages the building through its Harrogate International Conference Centre, regarding some exciting and innovative improvements. We will be unveiling these plans in the next few weeks.
The Restoration Trust runs a number of open days when volunteer stewards give talks about the history of the Hall whilst taking visitors on a tour of the building. No booking is needed and access is free although donations are welcomed with all money raised being put to the Royal Hall. The open day dates for 2015 are available at www.royalhallrestorationtrust.org.uk
