Boston Spa

History

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 . 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.

The Boston Spa and Thorp Arch Conservation Area, designated in 1969, extended across both Boston Spa and Thorp Arch parishes. It was revised in 2009, restricting the boundaries to Boston Spa parish and reshaped to exclude areas of late-20th-century estate housing to the south of the High Street. The current conservation area boundary focuses on the historic settlement. It was extended to the west, to encompass West End, an area of dwellings constructed during the Second World War 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.

Governance

When Boston Spa was founded in 1744 it was in the township of Clifford in the old parish of Bramham, in the upper division of the wapentake of Barkston Ash, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1866 to 1896 it was part of the civil parish of Clifford with Boston, and became a separate civil parish in 1896. The parish was in Wetherby Rural District in the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974, when it was transferred to the City of Leeds in the new county of West Yorkshire.

Architectural characteristics

Boston Spa is characterised by the predominance of classically inspired Georgian architectural forms. Most of the houses along the High Street display Classical proportions, with regular fenestration patterns and symmetrical facades. The use of architectural details is restrained, but details such as dentilled cornices and plat bands can be seen throughout the settlement. Buildings are predominantly two storey in height but three storey in the core of the settlement.

The use of magnesian limestone as the dominant building material is a key characteristic. The stone most widely used is fine-grained and lends itself well to high-quality ashlar facing which is reserved for the highest status buildings and the most properties in the conservation area are faced with coursed stone, which adds texture to the stonework. The pale cream colour is a key characteristic. While almost all the 18th- and 19th-century houses are roofed in slate, pantiles are commonly used on subordinate buildings such as outhouses.

There was very little expansion of the village after 1850 until major growth in the late 1970s resulting in considerable uniformity among the historic building stock and a stark contrast with the post-war developments, which made little concession to the character or layout of the earlier buildings.

While many architectural details stem from national styles of architecture, some locally distinctive details are present. Door and window lintels are formed of skewback (flat) arches and not single stones or timbers. Basket arches are a notable feature over carriage entrances. Small houses frequently have chimney flues and tops constructed from brick, in contrast to the stone construction of the rest of the building probably as a result of sulphur damage to the original stone flues.

Amenities

Boston Spa has a post office, a small library, a filling station and a branch of the Leeds Building Society. There are two public houses, (the Admiral Hawke and the Fox and Hounds both owned by Samuel Smiths Old Brewery), a small Costcutter supermarket in the former Royal Hotel and several independent retailers in the village centre (a butcher, hardware shop and several takeaways), and an off-licence on Wickham Avenue.

The Crown Hotel, closed in 2012 and was subject to a public enquiry as to its future use. Arguments presented in 2014 by Tesco that the premises "had little or no use as a hotel facility" were accepted at appeal.

The Boston Spa (within Thorp Arch Trading Estate) branch of the British Library (the Document Supply Service) is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-east of the village and outside the civil parish. This branch contains almost the complete British Library newspaper collection.

Education

Close by, but actually in the parish of Clifford, is Boston Spa School, the local secondary school with a catchment area typically taking pupils from areas which also feed comprehensives in Wetherby, Garforth and Pendas Fields. The school has success in sports and science teaching, and caters for pupils undertaking GCSEs, A levels, GNVQs and those with special needs according to its Ofsted reports.

Other establishments with postal addresses of Boston Spa although sited in the nearby parish of Clifford include the children's hospice Martin House and St John's Catholic School for the Deaf which has a UK-wide catchment.

There are no colleges in Boston Spa, however Leeds City College has a centre in Wetherby. There are several further and higher education institutions in Leeds.

Housing

Boston Spa comprises a mix of private and council houses. Most of the council housing is situated around Clifford Moor Road and Wickham Avenue. The east side of Boston Spa comprises mainly larger houses. There are many Georgian villas and town houses on High Street.

Events

The village annual gala is held in June. Since 2009 a beer festival takes place in the village hall. The village hall hosts a weekly jazz night and an annual arts festival usually in October.

Recreation

The route of The White Rose Way, a long distance walk from Leeds to Scarborough, North Yorkshire passes through the village. As does the Ebor Way which passes over the river at Thorp Arch village before continuing towards Tadcaster.