Gilly Pickup dives into the history of Britain’s spa towns
HOT tubs are considered trendy these days, but they’re not a new idea. Around 600BC, King Phraortes of ancient Persia had the first known hot tub built specially for him.
However, it wasn’t until the Romans came along that thermae, bathing facilities built over hot springs, were introduced.
They functioned as social centres, too, so it wasn’t long before “spa towns” became the in place to be.
No doubt you’ve seen bottles of Buxton mineral water on supermarket shelves.
Called Aquae Arnemetiae by the Romans, the town was notable for its healthgiving waters.
Although she did not visit in person, Queen Elizabeth I used Buxton’s water to soothe her tired legs and also allowed her cousin, the captive Mary, Queen of Scots, to bathe in its water.
In fact, Mary visited Buxton on several occasions, hoping it would cure her severe rheumatism.
Harrogate’s fame as a renowned health resort started in 1571 with the discovery of the first mineral well.
It was said that it had the same health-boosting properties as the famed waters from the Belgian town of Spa, so by 1596 the town was referred to as “The English Spa”.
Today’s visitors to the Royal Pump Room Museum can see the old sulphur well and sample the spa water.
The Stuart Court travelled so often from London to Royal Tunbridge Wells to drink the healthgiving waters that the town became known as the “courtiers’ spa”.
Established guidelines for the quantity of water that should be drunk recommended starting with two and a half pints a day, and increased to four times that amount during the course of a visit.
Its same Chalybeate Spring is still there. The name is derived from the Latin word for “steel”, because of the water’s high iron content.
For those wishing to taste the water, Georgiancostumed assistants known as “dippers” are on hand during the summer months at the well, which is in a Georgian colonnade called the Pantiles.
The golden city of Bath – designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site – owes its name to its natural hot springs.
When the Romans first came here they built an extensive, sophisticated, bathing complex complete with temple dedicated to Sulis Minerva, goddess of the springs.
The Cross Bath was where the movers and shakers gathered. As they frolicked in the toasty waters, musicians serenaded them.
Over the past 2,000 years, visitors, pilgrims and seekers of cures have flocked here in a bid to boost their health.
Claims have been made for the curative powers of the water; among other things, as a remedy for dropsy, infertility and arthritis.
Afternoon tea in the Pump Room, accompanied by the oldest resident ensemble in Europe, will transport you to a bygone era of modishness and social intrigue.
The Official Pumper, a lively character dressed in period costume, still dispenses the distinctive mineral water.
It contains 43 minerals including calcium, sodium, iron and a hefty dollop of sulphur. It has to be said, it is something of an acquired taste, but it might well liven you up!
King George III arrived in Cheltenham in 1788 to drink the spring waters and promenade in the gardens
By the 18th century, the mineral waters of London’s Streatham Spa were popular enough to make Streatham Common one of Britain’s most well-loved spas.
The spring was discovered by a ploughman who, not put off by its “mawkish taste”, found it to be good for “worms” and “the eyes”.
The reputation of the spa, and improved turnpike roads, attracted wealthy City of London merchants to build their country residences here.
All the hoopla surrounding the health-giving waters meant people flocked every day to Temple Bar and the Royal Exchange, outlets for the fresh spa water.
The suggested dosage was three cupfuls, said to be equivalent to nine cups of Epsom waters.
Posters proclaimed its many positives:
“It is a most valuable remedy for persons labouring under Nervous Debility. List of diseases in which it has effected permanent cures – Eruptions, Scrofula . . . Palpitation, Giddiness.
“Sold in Bottles at the Wells at Sixpence per Gallon . . . Good Accomodation [sic] for parties to drink the Water on the Premises. One Penny per Glass . . .”
Dr Samuel Johnson visited Streatham regularly in the late 1760s. He was a great fan of the mineral water, as he thought it helped relieve his gout.
In the early 1900s, those living there could have mineral water delivered along with the milk.
Interestingly, the delivery carts were drawn by men and women, not horses!