Spa, County Down
Encyclopedia
Spa is a small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, close to Ballynahinch. It is situated in the Down District Council
Down District Council
Down District Council is a Local Council in County Down in Northern Ireland. The Council is headquartered in Downpatrick. Other towns in the Council area are Ardglass, Ballynahinch, Castlewellan, Clough, Crossgar, Dundrum, Killough, Killyleagh, Newcastle, Saintfield, Seaforde and Strangford...

 area.

Recently the village has grown significantly with the addition of many housing estates including Carnglave Manor and Marcevin Grove. Spa also has a small primary school which, in recent years, has had to expand to accommodate the increasing number of pupils resulting from the development of the new housing estates. It also has an Orange Hall
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...

. There is a lake just outside the village.

History

The village takes its name from the three sulphur and iron spa well on its south west edge, which were in use as a spa resort since the early 18th century (mentioned by writer Walter Harris in the 1740s). In 1810 two pumps were put in by David Ker, local landlord and owner of the nearby Montalto estate, and in 1840 Assembly Rooms (including a ballroom) were built by his son. There was also a hotel and a maze for visitors, who came by train to Ballynahinch and then to Spa by jaunting car
Jaunting car
A jaunting-car is a light two-wheeled carriage for a single horse, in its most common form with seats for two or four persons placed back to back, with the foot-boards projecting over the wheels...

. While operational in the 1920s, the wells and hotel closed later in the 20th century.

Religion

Spa Presbyterian Church is situated at the main crossroads in the village. It was designed by architects Young and Mackenzie of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 and the builder was John Russell of Newcastle
Newcastle, County Down
Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club...

. The foundation stone was laid in 1871 and the church opened in July 1872.

Sport

Spa Golf Club is situated between Spa and Ballynahinch on the Grove Road. The Golf Club has held qualifying matches for the British Senior Open Championship in recent years.

See also

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