For those who could afford it, a spa visit was once a form of recreation as well as being a means of curing various ailments – and Ryedale was no stranger to these facilities. Howard Campion looks back.

SPA waters could be bathed in – and even drunk.

All of these activities were at their peak around 150 to 200 years ago.

And Malton, Ryedale and Scarborough were well provided with facilities.

Spa water is basically spring water – and it must be caught and lead into a plumbing system to be of any use.

Around East Ness, spring water can actually be seen coming up from the ground during favourable conditions.

In Malton the key component of such water seems to have been a substance known as chalybeate – containing iron – which was dissolved in the water along with other common calcium materials.

It tastes bitter, apparently, but not preferable to the local ales.

A map of area around the spa in Malton from 1850A map of area around the spa in Malton from 1850 (Image: Malton and Norton Heritage Centre) There are also local springs that exude smelly sulphurous odours, examples being at Hovingham and Salton.

Meanwhile, in Scarborough chalybeate water has evaporated leaving a ‘russet like’ colour on the rocks surrounding the Spa – not unexpected given that iron was present in the water.

There are many and various claims about spa water relieving maladies but it is difficult to find any scientific validation for them.

At Hovingham, for example, the water was said to offer relief from ‘nettle rash’ (surely Dock leaves would be more effective, convenient and cheaper?).  

Inducing sleep, improving digestion and helping lameness were said to be other benefits.

Malton water seemed to also be helpful regarding jaundice – when a person’s skin or the whites of their eyes turn yellow.

And so, the customers came. The Worsley Arms at Hovingham was built to accommodate spa tourists and the railway station changed its name from plain ‘Hovingham’ to ‘Hovingham Spa’ at the end of the nineteenth century.

It has to be said that the spa was some way out of the actual village.

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Scarborough owes its growth to this form of tourism, and Malton’s development was also enhanced.

Malton’s spa was on the ‘boundary’ of where the common land joined the town itself and, as such, was readily accessible from out of town.

It was adjacent to Longster’s gardens but after enclosure it became less accessible – maybe this was a factor that led to its eventual demise.

The growth of the local railways around 1845 may have also contributed to its downfall.

It resulted in fewer people travelling by river transport in and out of Malton, meaning the lock that stabilised river levels to facilitate this activity thereby became redundant.

Excavations to remove it disturbed the plumbing around the spa.

And, despite efforts to re-connect, a contemporary account states, “the medicinal springs were not recovered.”

  • Howard Campion is a trustee at the Malton and Norton Heritage Centre