Scarborough Spa Waters

Scarborough owes its origins as Britain's first seaside resort to the
discovery in 1626 of "strange tasting waters percolating upwards from
an underground reservoir". These waters were said to contain a "miracle"
ingredient which cured a variety of ailments and attracted visitors from
far and wide. A clue as to the chemical content of that ingredient may be
gathered from the stain on the steps where to this day the pump waters
overflow. A notice now warns against tasting the waters due to pollution.