The closure of Harrogate's last nightclub and what it means for town's historic Royal Baths

The sudden demise of Harrogate's last nightclub is not only the end of era for the town’s nightlife scene but throws the spotlight on one of its most historic buildings.
By Graham Chalmers
Published 14th Dec 2022, 11:12 GMT
Updated 14th Dec 2022, 11:14 GMT
The end of the final nightclub - The doors of the Viper Rooms in Harrogate.The end of the final nightclub - The doors of the Viper Rooms in Harrogate.
The end of the final nightclub - The doors of the Viper Rooms in Harrogate.

Housed in the basement of the Royal Baths, the owner of the Viper Rooms, Paul Kinsey, said the landlord had taken possession of the venue after they failed to negotiate a new lease.

“Having tried for nearly three years to negotiate a new lease with our landlord in good faith and after spending £350,000 refurbishing the club in 2019 the landlord has taken possession of the site,” said Mr Kinsey.

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The landlord in question is North Yorkshire County Council, who acquired the Royal Baths for £9 million in 2018 as part of a commercial investment portfolio run by the Brierley Group, a company the council set up a year earlier.

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Glory days - Pictured after an appearance in the Viper Rooms in Harrogate in 2009 are celebrity musical duo Jedward, who won fame that year on ITV's The X Factor.Glory days - Pictured after an appearance in the Viper Rooms in Harrogate in 2009 are celebrity musical duo Jedward, who won fame that year on ITV's The X Factor.
Glory days - Pictured after an appearance in the Viper Rooms in Harrogate in 2009 are celebrity musical duo Jedward, who won fame that year on ITV's The X Factor.

The closure leaves the county council looking for another new tenant for the historic Royal Baths which originally opened in 1897 in Harrogate’s golden age as a spa town.

Currently it contains contains the Turkish Baths, Wetherspoons pub and the Harrogate Tourist Information Centre.

But the county council’s corporate director for strategic resources said the Royal Baths has a strong future.

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“We remain confident that the Royal Baths offer a good premises in an iconic building in an attractive area of Harrogate," said Gary Fielding.

"They provided an opportunity to invest not only for a financial return but also in our locality.

"We are confident not only in the future of the Royal Baths, but in the long-term resilience and strength of the Harrogate economy as a whole.

Around 30 staff working at the Viper Rooms have lost their jobs as a result of the closure which saw bailiffs acting on behalf of the county council enter the nightclub last Friday to change the locks.

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All Christmas parties booked for the venue will now be unable to go ahead.

The roll call of venues frequented by successive generations of revellers in the town’s once vibrant nightclub scene to have closed in Harrogate since 2000 includes Carringtons, Moko Lounge and Jimmys.

Related topics:HarrogateNorth Yorkshire County CouncilWetherspoons