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Council has no plans to display art in refurbished Crescent Gardens

Tuesday, 2 July 2024 08:58

By Thomas Barrett, Local Democracy Reporter

Mercer Art Gallery (Image: Visit Harrogate)

North Yorkshire Council says it has no plans to display any of its vast collection of art at the refurbished Crescent Gardens in Harrogate after talks broke down.

Last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed just one per cent of 2,658 artworks owned by the council were currently on display to the public.

In 2019, the collection was valued at £6.7m but the council argued it has finite space to display it all.

North Yorkshire Council owns the Mercer Art Gallery on Swan Road in Harrogate, the Royal Pump Room Museum and Knaresborough Castle and Museum.

The Mercer is a stone’s throw from the former council offices and during a planning committee last week, Cllr Chris Aldred (Liberal Democrat, High Harrogate & Kingsley) raised the possibility of artworks owned by the council being put on display there in the future.

Private developer Impala Estates now owns the building and has planning permission to convert it into office, restaurant and bar space.

However, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director of community development, Nic Harne, poured cold water on these hopes and said no agreement could be reached during previous discussions about the move.

Mr Harne said:

“In 2021, there were initial discussions between Mercer Art Gallery staff and Impala Estates about displaying artworks at Crescent Gardens in the former council chamber, but these talks did not progress further.

“Currently, we remain open to discussions about lending and borrowing collections with other institutions and venues, as is common in the arts and heritage sector.

“There are no immediate plans with Impala Estates, but we would consider opportunities in the future.”

Impala Estates were contacted for comment but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Crescent Gardens opened in 1931 and closed following Harrogate Borough Council’s move to the Civic Centre in 2017.

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