Boston Spa
| Boston Spa | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
.jpg) High Street, Boston Spa | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SE431455 |
| Location: | 53°54’14"N, 1°21’0"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 4,079 (2011) |
| Post town: | Wetherby |
| Postcode: | LS23 |
| Dialling code: | 01937 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Leeds |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Elmet and Rothwell |
Boston Spa is a village in the West Riding of Yorkshire, sitting three miles south of Wetherby, on the south bank of the River Wharfe which separates it from Thorp Arch. The 2011 census recorded a parish population of 4,079.
The village has a mix of private and council houses. Most of the council housing is clustered on two roads. The east side of Boston Spa comprises mainly larger houses. There are many Georgian]] villas and town houses on High Street. Boston Hall is a Georgian house in the village, owned by the cricketer Geoffrey Boycott.
Contents
Name
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The origin of Boston Spa's name is not entirely clear; the name is not attested prior to appearing on printed maps in 1771, when it was labelled Thorp Spaw. At this stage, then, the name Thorp Spaw presumably meant 'the spa associated with Thorp Arch' (the nearest pre-existing settlement). The Boston element of the name is first attested in 1799 as Bostongate and then in 1822 simply as Boston. It is thought probable that Boston was the surname of a local family, whose name itself derives from Boston in Lincolnshire, and that their name was given to the settlement that grew up around the spa.[1]
History
The Boston Spa hoard, a Romano-British coin hoard dating to the mid second-century AD and comprising a grey ware vessel and 172 silver denarii, was found in the town in 1848.
In 1744, John Shires established a spa town when he discovered sulphur springs in the magnesian limestone. It was known as Thorp Spa, but declined when Harrogate became very popular as a spa town.
In 1753, a turnpike was built on the Tadcaster to Otley road, which passes through Boston Spa. In the same year, Joseph Taite built a house to accommodate visitors that became the Royal Hotel, which is still standing, but converted into flats and shops. By 1819, Boston Spa had a population of more than 600, and several inns and other houses offering accommodation had been built.[2] Spa baths were built to allow visitors to take the waters. On the north bank of the river is the village of Thorp Arch, which predates Boston Spa by several centuries.
Much of Boston Spa is a conservation area.
During the Second World War a new part of the village was built, West End, to house workers from Thorp Arch munitions factory. The war had a major effect on Boston Spa's population, society and surroundings, and the buildings stand as a testament to that history.
About the village
Boston Spa has a post office, a small library and a filling station. There are three public houses, (the Admiral Hawke and the Fox and Hounds, and the Crown Hotel on the high street. A supermarket operats from the former Royal Hotel. It has several independent retailers in the village centre (a butcher, hardware shop and several takeaway restaurants).
The Boston Spa (within Thorp Arch Trading Estate) branch of the British Library (the Document Supply Service) is a mile and a half north-east of the village.[3] This branch contains almost the complete British Library newspaper collection.[4]
Churches
- Church of England: St Mary's
- Methodist: Boston Spa Methodist Church
Events
The village annual gala is held in June. Since 2009 a beer festival takes place in the village hall.[5] The village hall has hosted a nationally renowned[6] weekly jazz night since January 2005[7] and an annual arts festival usually in October.
Recreation
The route of The White Rose Way, a long-distance walk from Leeds to Scarborough passes through the village. As does the Ebor Way which passes over the river at Thorp Arch village before continuing towards Tadcaster.
Pictures
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Boston Spa) |
Georgian houses on High Street
Leys Lane
St Mary the Virgin Church
The High Street
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Outside links
- Boston Spa School
- Performing Arts School based in Boston Spa
- Martin House Hospice
- St Mary The Virgin Church
- Boston Spa Parish Council
- Just For Fun Theatre Group
- Information on Boston Spa from GENUKI
- Boston Spa Arts Festival
- Jazz in the Spa
References
- ↑ Harry Parkin, Your City's Place-Names: Leeds, English Place-Name Society City-Names Series, 3 (Nottingham: English Place-Names Society, 2017), p. 25.
- ↑ "Boston Spa". https://www.aboutbritain.com/towns/boston-spa.asp.
- ↑ Wight, Colin. "Finding the British Library, Boston Spa". http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/quickinfo/loc/bsp/index.html.
- ↑ Wight, Colin. "British Newspaper Archive". http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/news/bna/.
- ↑ "Slideshow: Boston Spa Beer Festival hailed a success". Wetherby News. 25 February 2016. https://www.wetherbynews.co.uk/news/slideshow-boston-spa-beer-festival-hailed-a-success-1-7750879.
- ↑ "Top musicians and all that Jazz". Yorkshire Evening Post. https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/top-musicians-and-all-that-jazz-for-boston-spa-club-1-7091069.
- ↑ "Boston Spa - A Success Story". Jazz North West. http://www.jazznorthwest.co.uk/bostonsp.htm.
