Monument record MDR5066 - Bath House Farm, Cripton Lane, Ashover
Type and Period (3)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
[SK 3435 6434] Bath House [T.I.] (1)
At Ashover there is 'a very good cool bath for rich as well as poor to bathe themselves in for recreation, as well as to cure their bodies of several distempers'. (2)
'The tradition that the Romans had a settlement at the Bath House, Ashover, afterwards the Workhouse, may well be true, but the writer has discovered no mention of the bath earlier than that in Titus Wheatcroft's manuscript of 1722'. The Bath House was converted in 1767 into a workhouse, which was managed by three directors and a treasurer appointed every four years. Other parishes were invited to send their poor there subject to a payment. The number of subscribing parishes was 61 in 1809, at which time there were 38 inmates. (3)
Bath House is now a farm and was formerly the workhouse. Beneath one of the outbuildings is the spring which originally provided the sole water-supply for the village, traditionally this is known as "the Roman spring", but no Roman remains have ever been found in the area and the bath, now destroyed, was an animal watering trough inserted by the father of the current (1959) owner. Bath House bears the date "1812" and all outbuildings appear contemporary with this period. As stated by the owner, the spring is no longer visible and there are no remains of the former trough. (4)
Bath House Farm is a 17th century house with a larger 18th century extension. It is of considerable historic interest as it was, for a period, the Workhouse for Ashover and district, and as such is well documented. It has been considerably restored. (6)
Although a date stone dates the house at 1811, it is of much earlier origin. In the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714) a large boating house with adjacent lodgings was erected here with a view to rivalling the baths of Matlock and Buxton. However, this was an unsuccessful venture and the building stood empty for some fifty years. In 1767 it was converted into a poor house in accordance with the newly introduced Poor Laws. (7)
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SDR12054 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1914-38. OS 6".
- <2> SDR19566 Article in serial: Kerry, C (ed). 1897. 'Ashover. Memoranda by Titus Wheatcroft, AD 1722', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Vol. 19, pp 24-52. p 24.
- <3> SDR13249 Bibliographic reference: Peck, H. n.d.(?1920s). Some Gleanings Towards a History of Ashover.
- <4> SDR6274 Personal Observation: F1 FDC 25-NOV-59.
- <5> SDR10862 Index: NDAT. 0113. 0113.
- <6> SDR18918 Unpublished document: County Treasure Recording Form. 10(g).29.
- <7> SDR22717 Bibliographic reference: Warner, T & Buxton, P (North East Derbyshire District Council). 1979. Ashover Village Trail.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 3434 6433 (109m by 80m) Centre |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ASHOVER, NORTH EAST DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR1393
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jan 25 2023 12:08PM