__NOTOC__ Bilton is a suburb of

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England, situated to the north-east of the town centre.

History

Bilton was first recorded (as ''Billeton'') in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in 1086. The name is of

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

origin and means "farmstead of a man named Billa". Bilton was historically in the parish of

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenares ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

. It formed a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

with

, and in 1866 the township of Bilton with Harrogate became a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

. When Harrogate became a municipal borough in 1894, Bilton remained outside the borough and became a separate civil parish. In 1896, Starbeck was separated from Bilton to form a new civil parish. In 1938 the civil parish was abolished, and most of Bilton was added to Harrogate. In 1848 the

Leeds and Thirsk Railway The Leeds Northern Railway (LNR), originally the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, was an English railway company that built and opened a line from Leeds to Stockton via Harrogate and Thirsk. In 1845 the Leeds and Thirsk Railway received permission for ...

was opened through Bilton, although no station was built there. The line crossed the River Nidd on the northern boundary of Bilton by a stone viaduct. In 1908 the Harrogate Gasworks Railway was constructed from the main line to carry coal to the gasworks next to the Little Wonder roundabout. The line was closed in 1956, and with the tracks having been removed the only remains of the line are some walls and the tunnels that carried the trains. A small museum was opened in the neighbouring New Park School, where the line used to come out above ground. Between 2007 and 2008 the school created a garden, known as "The Secret Railway Garden", to commemorate the line. The area of Bilton west of the railway line was developed in the 19th and 20th centuries. The parish church of St John, designed by Gilbert Scott, was built between 1851 and 1857. It is now a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The area east of the railway has remained rural, with scattered houses now known as Old Bilton. The main railway line through Bilton was closed in 1969. In 2013 it was reopened as a cycle way and bridleway known as the

Nidderdale Greenway The Nidderdale Greenway is a path that runs between Harrogate and Ripley in North Yorkshire, England. It uses a former railway line that ran between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge as its course. The route connects to other cycle paths including t ...

. Bilton Hall is a large former country house lying to the east of Old Bilton on a hill facing Knaresborough. Built on the site of a hunting lodge constructed on the orders of John O'Gaunt in 1380.

William Slingsby Sir William Slingsby (29 January 1563 – 1634), was an English soldier, who is often erroneously noted as the discoverer of the first spa water well in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. He was the seventh, but third surviving son of Sir Francis ...

, who discovered the first spa well in

, once resided at the Hall. Bilton Hall became the seat of the Stockdale family from 1631, with three members of that family serving as

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

. It later passed into institutional use and is now a care home.

Community

Prior to the gala ending in the late 2010s, on the first May Bank Holiday each year the

Bilton Gala {{Use British English, date=June 2023 The Bilton Gala is a community event that takes place in Bilton, Harrogate, North Yorkshire on the first Bank Holiday in May each year. The first Bilton Gala took place in 1977 to mark the Queen’s Silver J ...

took place. The first Gala was held in 1977 and the event, which is attended by local families, raises money for groups and organisations within the local community. Bilton has five churches, four primary schools and its own library. There are a number of shops, including two convenience stores. The Library closed but has now re-opened on the site of Woodfield Primary School. Bilton has its own online community page, called the Bilton Community Group on Facebook. Started in lockdown to bring a larger ‘sense of community to the area’. There is one

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the Gardeners Arms, in Old Bilton. The Skipton (formerly the Dragon) on Skipton Road closed in February 2014 and The Oak Beck public house on Woodfield Road has been demolished and is being replaced with eight dwellings. There is a working men's club on Skipton Road. The

Red Cat Cottage The Red Cat Cottage (formerly Red Cat Inn), a Grade II listed building, is now a residence that sits at the top of Bachelor Gardens in Bilton, a district of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. At the time of Oliver Cromwell this house was an ...

(formerly Red Cat Inn), a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building is located in the area. It is situated close to the

Nidd Gorge Nidd Gorge makes up a section of the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England, in which the river enters a deep ravine with sheer, tree covered valley sides. The river as a whole flows from its source near Great Whernside in Nidderdale (part of ...

conservation area.

Transport

Roads out of Bilton lead to Skipton Road, the major artery across North Harrogate, resulting in very heavy congestion at peak times, and heavy traffic throughout the day. The number 2 bus route runs between Bilton and

Harrogate bus station Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

. It is split into service 2A and 2B; 2B serving the Knox area of Bilton while 2A runs along Bilton Lane towards Fieldway and Woodfield. A railway station is proposed on the Harrogate Line at Bilton.

References

External links

*
Harrogate district council information on visitingBilton Historical Society
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Geography of Harrogate Former civil parishes in North Yorkshire