The Spa Hotel. A Brief History:
The resort of Saltburn by the Sea was founded by the Victorian entrepreneur Henry Pease and the legacy of his vision is the Station complex, Zetland Hotel, Pier, Cliff Lift and Valley Gardens as well as the so called “jewel streets” along the sea front. Today Saltburn’s Victorian heritage is brilliantly preserved whilst modern Saltburn presents an excellent surfing beach. The family run Spa Hotel occupies a prime location boasting unrivalled panoramic views of Huntcliff, the North Sea and beautiful surrounding countryside.
It was originally intended that the towns Assembly Rooms should be erected on the corner of Milton Street and Britannia Terrace ( now Marine Parade) next to the Zetland Hotel. However lack of funding meant that this didn’t happen.
The Assembly Rooms (the building now known as The Spa Hotel) were eventually built in 1884 by a Mr T.D. Ridley of Coatham to a design by Alfred Waterhouse of London and was considered as one of the finest buildings of its kind.
The contract for the building was awarded in February 1884 and erection must have proceeded with great speed as a Mr A T Griffin was granted a licence in May of the following year for ‘dramatic performances,’ but no alcohol was to be served. The opening concert was held on Friday July 10 1885 attended by a ‘large and fashionable audience.’ The concert hall could accommodate 600 people and was described as boasting commodious dressing rooms, waiting rooms and as being elaborately furnished. Many touring companies were to grace the stage in the ensuing years.
The building became known as The Spa Pavilion after it was extended and extensively ‘modernised’ circa 1935 and was considered as a notable asset to the town. At this time a sun lounge was added, fitted with Vitaglass, offering ‘charming views across the woodlands and cliffs to the sea.’ The Pavilion boasted a cafe which offered complete shelter against inclement weather but with sliding glass doors which could be fully opened to admit the maximum of sunshine and air.
At the same time the Dance Hall was equipped with a fine stage and a maplewood floor. Dances were held weekly throughout the year and attracted considerable audiences from many surrounding towns. It was proudly advertised as having ample car parking facilities for patrons.
The building became known as the Philmore Country Club in the early 70’s and then as just Philmore’s circa 1983. The night club boasted a capacity of 1400 on split levels with a balcony overlooking the dance floor. Both Chris Rea and Sting (as a member of Last Exit) played here with Chris Rea’s ‘Rainbow and a Rose’ often being played as the last dance record in the late 70’s early 80’s.
By October 1989 Friday nights became known as ‘Big Beat’ night as part of the Rave scene and were so popular that the club was eventually forced to close in April 1992 following the loss of its entertainment licence after a number of problems and complaints.
It finally became known as the Spa Hotel circa 1994.
