Carnegie Publishing Ltd

The story of education in Harrogate is a fascinating one. The nineteenth century was one of huge development and change in education, with the 1870 Forster Act aiming to create a school within reach of every child. As with so many aspects of life even now, class, religion and gender largely determined the type and quality of the provision of learning. Harrogate was no exception, and Paul Jennings examines all of these factors in this important new book. But in addition, Harrogate’s health resort status also led to the creation of an unusually high number of private schools, as fee-paying parents were assured that their children would benefit from the especially healthy surroundings. For all types of school, the author covers topicssuch as the patterns of the school day, meals (or lack of them), segregation of the sexes, punishments and the changing curriculum. The result is a comprehensive and readable volume that will appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of both education and the town of Harrogate.

The Moor Hospital, its Gothic grandeur shaping the city’s eastern skyline, has been a place of curiosity and mystery for generations of Lancastrians for almost two centuries. Author Gary Bradshaw grew up in Lancaster and trained as a Mental Health Nurse at the Moor. Upon retirement, he decided to delve into the archives to piece together the story of the hospital, and to put faces to the names of some of those who passed through its doors. In the early days, the Asylum adopted methods which we find quite shocking today, with their brutality and emphasis on containment and control, rather than treatment and cure. But, although we can be horrified by such practices, they must be seen within their historical context. These were different times, with little insight into the human body and mind. Over the years, care gradually improved, and for certain periods, Lancaster was even seen as a model of good practice. This excellent history of the Moor Hospital is set against a background of changing attitudes, developing medical knowledge and pioneering treatments. It is a fascinating and informative read for everyone.