Geograph - photograph every grid square

Although it is commonly thought that Ashby is a spa town, and also recorded as such, it never was although it did have a spa baths. The water (having a high saline content) actually came from Moira, being at first a by-product of coal mining. A spa bath was constructed at Moira to exploit these reserves but was considered unfashionable by the clientele in those surroundings. Consequently the water was transported to Ashby - a more suitable site for those taking the waters - via the canal so far and then by tramway to a bath house which stood at the rear of the Royal Hotel. This was a large Crystal Palace style affair, demolished i think in the early part of the 20th century. Incidentally the Royal Hotel was originally named the Bath Hotel, it's name being changed for a royal visit. This leaves Moira as the true spa town, being the origin of the water.