Traditional folk music, dance and customs - Harrogate, North Yorkshire - Chas Marshall's Website

Folk Clubs in and around the Harrogate area

This page hopes to provide details of currently active (or recently active) Folk Clubs and regular singing sessions

Folk Club at The Dropping Well, Knaresborough, HG5 8HZ 2nd Thursday of the Month 8pm Start Free Admission Contact Dave: 01423 398180 or Edna: 01423 883404 The first night will be Thursday 14th MARCH

Dave Pollard has been looking for a new venue for a monthly singers and musicians night which it is hoped will attract a mixture of styles and talents. The landlady of The Dropping Well in Knaresborough (formerly Mother Shiptons) is welcoming and is offering a choice of 2 rooms depending on numbers.

Directions:

From Harrogate - Take the A59 to Knaresborough. Proceed along the High Street and turn right down Gracious Street (B6163) at the traffic lights just after the bus station. Go down hill and the pub is immediately across the bridge.

From York - Take the A59 to Knaresborough and turn left down Gracious Street(B6163).

From Leeds - Take the A61 towards Harrogate and follow the Harrogate bypass towards York(A658). Cross the roundabout on the A661 Wetherby Road and turn left at the next junction B6163(signed Calcutt). Continue down this road and the pub is on the left just before the bridge across the river.

Parking at the pub is limited but there are a few spaces at the other side of the bridge and there is roadside parking up the hill behind the pub only a few minutes walk away.

Third Friday Folk Club : this club has now closed

The club was first run by Edna at the Mitre until November 2009. Here is is an email from Edna sent on 21st November 2009:

"Unfortunately we arrived at the Mitre last night to find that 20 people were dining at a private party in the room. I had been speaking to the owner 10 days previously, who had told me that we were definitely fine to carry on for the next few months apart from December, but if he started to have to turn down room bookings he would have to rethink.

I have therefore decided that we will close the club, which is very sad as we have had some very good nights, but I will keep this circulation list for if we come up with another venue or we arrange some "one off" events.

Please pass this information to anybody who may be interested."

If you want to know more, phone Edna on 01423 883404.

Sometime later, following a very successful evening in May 2010 at the Traveller's Rest, Linda Pearson decided to run free singers/musicians nights regularly on the 1st Monday of each month at 8pm. After a couple of years meeting in the conservatory this venture too has terminated. The new pub landlord at the Travellers is altering the pub to make it open plan which is rather sad as the conservatory will become part of this larger open plan area.

Further information from Linda telephone 01423 523848.

Thank you to Edna, Linda and all the regulars who kept folk music alive in the Harrogate area for a little longer.

Tony Martin and Roger Knowles entertain at Third Friday Folk. 21st August 2009

Friday the Thirteenth Folk Club: This club is now closed but the website remains as a historical archive

Finally,cCheck out Mark Ellison's wikispaces web site for more information about of the earlier history of folk clubs in the Harrogate area.