Harlow Tower
Tower House, Nursery Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 0AZ
Harlow Tower was built in 1829 for the purpose of looking out from the top. There is early evidence that it was used as an astronomical observatory, and it certainly was used as an observatory in the 1960s. The Tower is 70 feet from the bottom to the parapet as measured by the Brownies, not 90 feet as given in Harrogate guidebooks. Foucault’s Pendulum was installed in 1998 down the core of the tower.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 14 September:
- 1000-1700
- Sunday 15 September:
- 1000-1700
Location & directions
Tower House, Nursery Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 0AZ
- Directions:
- Please note: Cars are not allowed down the private Nursery Lane. It is a mile or so on the left side of Otley Road out of Harrogate. It is the square tower, not the round water tower.
- Contact on day:
- David Cook
- Telephone number:
- +447866532985
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
No limit on visitor numbers or duration of stay but only 20 people are allowed at a time on the roof, controlled by a system of tokens. There is no disabled access to the roof (100 steps). Foucault’s Pendulum can be seen from the doorway. Only 5 people at a time can view the pendulum although everyone can hear the short talk.
Additional information
Come and see the Earth turn at Harlow Tower. In 1851, a similar invitation was sent out to the people of Paris. A pendulum had been set up in the Paris Observatory. It was the first demonstration that ordinary people could appreciate that the Earth was turning. Our pendulum was set up in 1998. It is about 18 metres long.
