Grove House, Harrogate

Grove House
Grove House, as pictured from the Skipton Road, Harrogate
Former names	World's End Inn
General information
Status	Open
Town or city	Harrogate
Country	England
Coordinates	54°00′06″N 1°31′59″W / 54.0018°N 1.5330°W / 54.0018; -1.5330Coordinates: 54°00′06″N 1°31′59″W / 54.0018°N 1.5330°W / 54.0018; -1.5330
Groundbreaking	1745
Completed	1754
Owner	Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes
Designations	Grade II* listed
Website
Grove House @ Monmouthshire RAOB

Grove House is a Grade II* listed manor house, located in Skipton Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Built in 1745–54 as World's End Inn, and the first house in Yorkshire to have lighting by water gas, today it is a venue owned and operated by the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, (RAOB).

The earliest reference to the World's End Inn was in 1728, but the inn may date back earlier, when Harrogate was expanding as a spa town. The present building was originally constructed in 1752–54 as a square shaped hostelry around an inner quadrangle. There is evidence to suggest that it served as coaching inn and staging post, for passengers and mail from London to York.

In 1805, it was purchased by a Mrs. Holland for use as a boarding school. In 1809 it was purchased by Yorkshire-born author Barbara Hofland, who developed it as a ladies finishing school, a forerunner to what is now Harrogate College. But she kept it only until 1811, when she moved to London. Purchased by the Reverend T.T. Wildsmith in 1822, he converted it into a school for boys. After being unoccupied for some years, it was converted to a private house by new owner, Captain Heneby.

In 1850, the house was bought by engineering inventor, Samson Fox. A self-made man, he had created the Leeds Forge Company, and through his invention of the corrugated flue, had made himself a multi-millionaire. His descendants include the actor Edward Fox, and his daughter the actress Emilia Fox.

Samson Fox built himself a fully equipped workshop in the basement, and added the Royal Stables, which included a Turkish bath for his breeding stock. The stables clock tower, and much of the interior panelling, stained glass and plasterwork to create new rooms in the house, were all recovered from the recently demolished Dragon Hotel, formerly over a bridge on the opposite side of Skipton Road. Fox extended the estate footprint through purchases of land when they became available, eventually creating an estate just in excess of 40 acres (16 ha). This included the provision of grazing land for sheep by the gatehouse, so that they could rest on their way to Knaresborough market.