Harrogate began as a tiny hamlet in the Royal Forest of Knaresborough and owes its rise to prominence almost entirely to the exploitation of its mineral springs. Doctors recommended their patients to drink the sulphur-laden water and the first English 'watering place' distinguished by the name 'spa' became a fashionable retreat for the nobility and gentry. In the Season, in addition to the many private carriages of the well-to-do, no less than 19 coaches ran daily from all parts of the land. The numbers arriving to 'take the cure' rose from 20,000 in 1848, when the railway came, to 60,000 a year by the end of the century. The enclosure of the Royal Forest in the 18th century and the gain of 200 acres of open ground, known as the Stray, gave perpetual access to the famous springs and ensured that Harrogate would have space as well as style. The Victorians added many fine buildings to impress their visitors, including the Royal Baths Assembly Room, Opera House and the Kursaal - the name
