| Where: | Calderdale, Yorkshire at Midgley Old Pinfold on Chapel Lane, Cragg Vale from the Hinchliffe Arms then the Park on Cragg Road, Gunthwaite Spa near Upper Denby (north of Penistone) |
| When: | 1st Sunday in May |
| Time: | Midgley 11am, Cragg Vale from 2.15 pm, Gunthwaite Spa 1-pm ish onwards with band at 2.30 |
Spaw Sunday is a celebration of the local water supply in a custom closely related to Well Dressing (see separate article), recently revived after a break. Three areas are currently the focus of the festivities : Midgley,Cragg Vale and Penistone. At Midgley the numerous local wells and troughs are decorated with flowers and a walk takes place around them with breaks for recitations ,songs and music, followed by a bacon and dock pudding breakfast at the Community Room. At Cragg Vale there is a procession to the Spring for a Blessing, accompanied by clergy and sword dancers. It’s traditional to drink the water mixed with liquorice – take your own bottle and shake it up – and a delicious picnic is consumed afterwards in the park followed by more dancing. At Gunthwaite Spa near Penistone, picnickers gather to relax and listen to the brass band.
Helpful Hints
The Midgley walk is around a mile-and-a-half and covers uneven terrain. The walk is free with a small charge if you partake of the breakfast which includes dock pudding(this is a local delicacy and there’s an annual competition – see World Dock Pudding Championship article). At Cragg Vale, the walk is short but steep, often with a picnic, and it’s organised by St John The Baptist in the Wilderness, Cragg Vale. The entrance to the Park is at the Mytholmroyd end of the village near the 30mph sign – look out for the carved deer sculptures. At Gunthwaite Spa there is no formal event as such, just a gathering of visitors on the day to hopefully enjoy the spring weather and the music.
As is often the case with spa water, it is sulphurous and smelly but the liquorice helps mask the flavour! In 2013 and 2014 it wasn’t possible to drink the water owing to a pollution problem – future drinkability depends on the water being declared fit for human consumption.
In 2025 it should be on Sunday May 4th (to be confirmed).
Click here for the Midgley village website: https://www.midgley-village.co.uk/calendar.html
Click here for the Cragg Vale Church website : https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/18013/
and village: http://www.craggvalecommunity.co.uk
and Ryburn Longsword (who dance at Cragg Vale): https://www.ryburn3step.org.uk/?page_id=75
and here for Gunthwaite: http://www.thurlstonebrassband.org
For a first hand account, visit http://traditionalcustomsandceremonies.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/customs-revived-calder-valley-spaw-sunday/
This year we are starting from the park on Cragg Road. Everyone welcome
Gunthwaite Spaw Sunday.
I held to search to find any information about the spa at Gunthwaite. Eventually I got an address of Carr Lane and O.S.reference of SE242 061 though the spa is not marked on the map. The majority of the people who attended had come on a guided walk from the George inn at Denby Lane. The inn often does guided walks and includes pie and peas for about £5 The timings were all a bit vague and as I was worried I might get called away I chose to park at the junction of Carr Lane and Broad Oak Lane. The Spa is about 150 yards from this junction. The road is single track, pot-holey and doesn’t have much parking. The spa is situated just at the road side with a small walled garden two “sit up and beg” seats built into the wall and steps down to the water. The sun was shining, birds singing I had the place to myself and it was idyllic.. At about 1.30 pm 2 other people arrived just as I was beginning to wonder if I’d got the wrong day.
Eventually the vicar arrived and some members of Thurlstone brass band. A little later the 100 guided walk people turned up,lots of kids and dogs. There was a short service and the brass band played hymns. People tasted the water which is supposed to have healing properties. It smells sulphurous, tastes alright and wasn’t as cold as I’d expected.A local lady in her 80’s said she drank the water regularly and the spa used to be set further away from the road and rose through a millstone She thought the new setting with the water coming from a pipe, had been done by Barnsley Council.
After the service we went back to the road junction where the brass band played. There were homemade cakes and refreshments and people were picnic-ing on the verges
The brass band were due to play again at the inn at 5.00pm so at about 3.30 people began to walk back to the inn for their pie and peas.
So there was an open air service, brass band, tea and cakes,picnics and pie and peas. A very Yorkshire afternoon.
The location of Gunthwaite Spa is on this map: https://osm.org/go/evimacCY?m=
Hi Paul,
Many thanks for the link- I’ll add a pin to the map when I’m next updating it,
Best wishes,
Averil