Ye Olde Spa Inne
Ye Olde Spa Inne, Abbey Street
round 1773, a Dr Chauncey came
across a mineral spring just off Abbey
Street, Derby. Chauncey was an
entrepreneur and seized the
opportunity to rival places like
Buxton and Bath. Simpson's History
of Derby states: 'He put down a basin
into the spring of it, to come out
fresh: he built a cover over the spring
which discharges itself by a grate and
keeps the place always dry. About 20
yards below the spa he made a
handsome cold bath and some rooms
to it at considerable expense!
pparently Chauncey was only
exploiting something which was
already well-known. In 1611, the
burgesses of Derby were already
receiving rent for 'a watering place at
the nether edge of Abbie Barne', so it
appears that the commercial
properties of the spring had been
realised for at least 120 years before
he decided to capitalise on them.
Unfortunately Dr Chauncey died in
1736, and his spa seems to have died
with him.
double-gabled cottage was built
on the site of the spa. It then became
a farm and in the l9th century, a
public house, which is what stands
there today.
he buildings appear to be
haunted, but whether by the ghost of
Dr Chauncey, no one seems to know.
On frequent occasions the landlord
has sensed that he is not alone in the
cellars, and on three occasions his
name has been called by a strange
voice when there is no one else there.
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The information on this page is supplied courtesy of Wayne Anthony (author) and Richard Felix (local historian).
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