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From it's source in marshy ground half way between the ancient market town of Knaresborough and the not so ancient settlement of High Harrogate, the Star Beck sets off on its journey to the Rivers Crimple and Nidd, then finally to the sea. The valley it carved over thousands of years has a history all of it's own.

Originally part of the ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough, (an expanse of land south of the River Nidd, North of the Rivers Wharfe and Washbum, and as far West as Blubberhouse Moor) Starbeck was no more than sparsely populated until the coming of the railways in 1848/49. However that doesn't mean nothing happened here.

The earliest recorded mention of the area comes from the award of forestland to the Plompton family in 1190. Clearly visible on the original map of the award is a stream flowing across land between Harrogate and Knaresborough. One of the estate boundary markers was a small bridge obviously made of wooden stakes, going by the name of Stokkebrigg. There is no doubt from the evidence of the map that Stokkebrigg was Starbeck. Being marshy ground, for the next three hundred years or so the land, through many different spellings, became known as Stoke-Brig-Myre. In peat cutting regulations of 1512 Stokebrigmyre was described as next to Bilton Park and Belmont Land, or in other words Starbeck.

During the last quarter of the 16th century mineral springs were discovered all around the Harrogate region and it was during this time that originally two springs were discovered, close together, beside what was by now known as the Star Beck. One spring was a mild sulphur water, more palatable by both taste and smell than the harsher Low Harrogate waters, and the other was chalybeate (iron) water. Known as Starbeck Old Spa, the springs were furnished with a cover and a basin, and were popularly visited for the next two hundred years, until the forest was finally enclosed in 1778. With the forest enclosure, unlike the springs of High and low Harrogate, (set aside for free access, hence The Stray) the Starbeck springs fell into private hands where they were neglected to the point of disappearing altogether. It was a Knaresborough man, Michael Calvert, who in 1822 restored the springs and finally in 1828 opened the Harrogate area's first public baths (today known as Spa mews) under the new name of Knaresborough Spa Baths. In 1868 a further sulphur spring was discovered in the field next door and from that in 1870 the Prince of Wales Baths, now the public swimming baths were opened. After years of bitter fighting between the two spa companies, the Knaresborough spa baths closed for good in 1890. Both establishments were bought by the Harrogate council in 1900, the Prince of Wales baths struggling on until 1939.

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