WOODHALL SPA
Woodhall Spa is a popular inland tourist resort with a unique charm. This character is derived from its origins as a spa where Victorians, and later generations, took advantage of its health giving mineral waters. As a consequence it is an exceptionally attractive and welcoming village which provides visitors with opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities. These include golf, open-air swimming, bowls, tennis, and other recreations such as angling or walking. It has good hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, self-catering facilities, a unique cinema, and, nearby, camping and caravan sites. These attractions and facilities make it a very convenient centre from which to explore Lincolnshire's varied countryside A short history The Spa came into existence as the result of the sinking of a shaft for a coal mine by a speculator in 1821. The coal mine came to nothing and the shaft was abandoned within a few years. By chance the shaft broached a spring. Subsequently the shaft filled with water and then overflowed into an adjacent ditch. Local legend has it that cattle drinking from the ditch were cured of ailments. It seems that people tried the water too and found it beneficial in relieving such ills as rheumatism, gout and scurvy. When it was analysed it was found to contain six times more iodine and bromine than any other known mineral water. By 1834 Thomas Hotchkin (the Lord of the Manor) had built a Pump Room and Bath House and a hotel. With the coming of the railway the Spa became increasingly popular. Times change, however, and in 1954 the railway was axed. The use of the spa baths declined over the years and the final curtain came down in 1983, when the well collapsed. Nevertheless, this loss has been made good by other amenities and, although it no longer has a spa, Woodhall Spa continues to be a very popular centre for visitors. Some of the amenities |
