Bath, Harrogate, Hockley??

Click image to enlarge

By Helen Barnard

When a spring was discovered in Hockley in the 1830s, an enterprising solicitor thought he might make his fortune and set up a spa to rival the likes of Bath and Leamington...

With its white, Grecian style frontage, it now makes a striking sight on a road largely occupied by buildings from the last 50 to 60 years. The spa also included a hotel to house those who came to take the waters.

Although Hockley Spa water was highly recommended by Dr. Glanville in his publication "The Spas of England, Germany, etc", it came too late to make its owner much profit. By the time the spa was established, in the early years of Victoria's reign, sea-side holidays had replaced the spa as the vacation of choice and Hockley Spa enjoyed chequered fortunes over the subsequent years.