LOCATION 6
Scarborough Spa at
Night 1879
Francis Sydney Muschamp 1851-1929
Additional Information
In 1626, Mrs Thomasin
Farrer, a respectable Scarborough lady with an enquiring mind, noticed that the
water flowing out of a spring in the South
Bay was causing the
stones to be tinged brown. She tried
drinking the water and found it beneficial to her health, told all her many
friends and the Spa was born. It was the
first coastal Spa to gain national recognition, long before the Prince Regent
put Brighton on the map. In 1826 a company was formed to develop the
Spa, including better access to the site by means of the Cliff Bridge.
In 1836, a storm damaged the
existing wooden building and a stone Gothic saloon, designed by Henry Wyatt,
was opened in 1839. In 1857, Sir Joseph Paxton submitted plans for more
extensive buildings but Paxton’s Grand Hall was destroyed by fire in 1876. It was replaced in 1879 by the Grand Hall of
Verity and Hunt, a London
firm of architects, together with additional buildings on the site. Further
improvements to the buildings and promenade continue to this day; a
multi-million pound refurbishment of the facilities was recently completed.
To the south is the lower
station of the Scarborough Spa Cliff Lift.
This was the first passenger cliff tramway in Europe (possibly the
world) and it set an example to be followed by a large number of holiday
resorts – Scarborough alone built another
four. The lift provides a first class
method of reaching the delights of the Esplanade above.
Directions to Location 7
The
path to the next location is necessarily steep in parts. Retrace your steps along the front of the Spa
and then climb the steps at the north end of the complex. Follow the footpath until the Spa Chalet and
then make a U - turn up the footpath towards the Esplanade. Wheelchair users can avoid the steps by using
the lift in the Spa buildings at the south end, follow this higher level until
reaching the footpath at the north end.
Alternatively use the Spa Cliff Lift, travel along the Esplanade and
descend the footpath through the ornamental gates opposite the Crown Spa Hotel.