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| Droitwich Spa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Droitwich Spa, St. Andrews | |
  Droitwich Spa Location withinWorcestershire | |
| Area | 8.366 km2 (3.230 sq mi) |
| Population | 25,027 (2021 Census)[1] |
| • Density | 2,992/km2 (7,750/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SO895632 |
| • London | 125 miles (201 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DROITWICH |
| Postcode district | WR9 |
| Dialling code | 01905 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated toDroitwich/ˈdrɔɪt.wɪtʃ/)[3] is an historicspa town in theWychavon district in northernWorcestershire, England, on theRiver Salwarpe. It is located approximately 22 miles (35 km) south-west ofBirmingham and 7 miles (11 km) north-east ofWorcester.
The town was called Salinae[4] in Roman times, then later called Wyche, derived from the Anglo-SaxonHwicce kingdom, referred to as "Saltwich" according to Anglo-Saxon charters, with the Droit (meaning "right" in French) added when the town was given its charter on 1 August 1215 byKing John.[5][6] The "Spa" was added in the 19th century when John Corbett developed the town's spa facilities. The River Salwarpe running through Droitwich is likely derived fromsal meaning "salt" andweorp which means "to throw up" - i.e. "the river which throws up salt" - which overflows from the salt brines.[7]
The town is situated on massive deposits of salt, and salt has been extracted there since ancient times. The natural Droitwichbrine contains2+1⁄2 pounds per imperial gallon (0.25 kg/L) of salt, ten times stronger than sea water and rivaled only by theDead Sea.[8]
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During theRoman era the settlement was known asSalinae and was located at the crossroads of severalRoman roads. Railway construction in 1847 revealed Romanmosaic pavements. In the ninth centuryHistoria Brittonum, a text that discusses various landscape folklore across Britain, the hot spring of Droitwich Spa appears to be described in a passage that suggests that the spa was still built up at that time: "The third marvel is a hot pool, which is in the country of the Hwicce [near Worcester][9] and is surrounded by a wall made of bricks and stone. Men go into it to bathe at all times, and the temperature changes for each of them as they wish: if one man wants a cold bath, it will be cold, and if another wants a hot bath, it will be hot."[10]
King John's charter was renewed byJames VI and I on 8 November 1625, establishing the governance of the town and markets.[11][12] Droitwich remained a fairly small town until the 1960s, when the population was still barely 7,000, but since then it has grown considerably from overspill fromBirmingham with many housing estates being developed in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2014, new housing consent was granted to large developments at Copcut (750 houses) and Yew Tree Hill (765 houses) with a number of other in-fill developments[13]
In July 2007, Droitwich was hit heavily by the UK-wideflooding caused by some of the heaviest rainfall in many years. The flooding was pictured in UK-wide news, having flooded the majority of the heavily subsided high street. Many shops in the high street remained closed almost a year later.
Rock salt and brine was extracted by the Romans and this continued through to theMiddle Ages. A salt tax was levied by the king until it was abolished in 1825. A local family named Wintour owned up to 25salt evaporating pans in the area by the 1600s.
Brine rose naturally to the surface at three sites along the River Salwarpe within Vines Park in the centre of Droitwich. Unusually the brine was fully saturated with sodium chloride, and was extremely valuable because it was economic to boil, and the yield of salt was high. Because of its value the brine was divided into shares, one share comprising 6,912 imperial gallons (31,420 L) which produced eight long tons (8.1 t) of salt annually in the set boiling period. When it rained, particularly in the winter when brine was not being boiled, the rain water which is less dense than saltwater, settled on top of the brine and was readily removed.
Originally brine for boiling was extracted with buckets lowered into the pits which were naturally replenished. Upwich, the deepest of the three pits at 30 feet (9.1 m), supplied most of the brine, while the pit at Netherwich was only 18 feet (5.5 m) deep. The Middlewich pit, located between the two, was adversely affected by brine extraction at the other two pits and fell into disuse. Steynor in the 17th century discovered the pit and set up business for himself, but eventually due to the lack of brine he failed to compete with the town monopoly.
The underground brine reservoirs were only 200 feet (61 m) deep and in 1725boreholes were sunk to the base of the pits, accessing brine in almost unlimited quantities and independent of the natural brine flow, and the monopoly ceased. Pumps were used to draw brine, and production increased. As a result, parts of the town succumbed to subsidence.[14]
In the mid-19th century, Droitwich became famous as aspa town. Unlike other places, the medicinal benefits were not derived from drinking the spa water, which is almost saturated brine, but from the muscular relief derived from swimming and floating in such a dense, concentrated salt solution, at the town's brine baths (first opened in 1830). The spa water at Droitwich is thewarmest in the United Kingdom outsideBath, but it does not meet the most common definition of ahot spring as the water is below standard human body temperature.
The original Brine Baths have long since closed, but a new brine bath (part of the Droitwich Spa private hospital) opened to the public for relaxation and hydrotherapy but this too was closed in December 2008 due to a dispute between the operator and Wychavon District Council over health and safety inspections.
The salt industry was industrialised and developed in the 19th century byJohn Corbett who built the nearbyChateau Impney for his Franco-Irish wife in the French 'château' style. He was responsible for the redevelopment of Droitwich as a Spa.
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Droitwich's first workhouse was set up on Holloway in 1688[15] and the last finally abolished in the 1920s.
Droitwich Lunatic Asylum was established in 1791. Records at the Worcestershire County Record Office show its presence in 1837 to 1838. An advert in the Transactions of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association (the forerunner of theBritish Medical Association) in 1844, records that Martin Ricketts, of Droitwich, was the Surgeon andSir Charles Hastings from theWorcester Infirmary was the Physician.
TheOld Town Hall, which is in St Andrews Street, was completed in 1826.[16]
In 1714 the firstTurnpike in Worcestershire was opened toWorcester. A commemorative plaque was unveiled byLt. Col. Patrick Holcroft theLord Lieutenant of Worcestershire in Victoria Square on 1 June 2014.
Collectively known as theDroitwich Canal, twocanals met in the town centre. These are the Droitwich Barge Canal built byJames Brindley in 1771 and the Droitwich Junction Canal built in 1854. The Junction canal linked Droitwich to theWorcester and Birmingham Canal. The canals were abandoned in 1939 but a restoration program saw them re-opened in 2011.
Therailway station, formerly on theGreat Western Railway, is just outside the town centre with trains toBirmingham,Worcester,Kidderminster andStourbridge.
Regular buses operate from the town centre toWorcester andBromsgrove along with town services and an infrequent service (133) toKidderminster. These are operated by various operators.
3 mi (5 km) north-east of Droitwich is the centrallongwave broadcasting facility for the UK, (WychboldBBC transmitter), which is also used for transmissions in the medium wave range; seeDroitwich transmitting station. The transmitting station was sited near Droitwich, which was close to UK centres of population when it was established in the 1930s. Considerable care was taken to avoid placing the masts above underground brine, due to the risk of subsidence;[17] however, there are anecdotal reports that the huge block of underground salt was desirable by providing good grounding and increased signal strength.[18]
Droitwich shopping is mainly focused in the traditional town centre around Victoria Square, leading to the St Andrew's Square shopping centre and down to the original High Street, with its local pubs and an eclectic mix of traditional shops.Farmers' markets are also held regularly in Victoria Square.
In the central St Andrew's Square shopping precinct are several chain stores. On 14 July 2005,Waitrose opened a new supermarket in the grounds of the old covered market, directly behind the heavily subsided High Street. In 2008, a newAldi store opened on the small retail park by Roman Way while the new Parkridge Retail Park was opened in 2007 with two new stores,Carpetright, since closed, andLand of Leather. There was also a Horsatack Saddlery store on the same park, which was opened in 2009. The park already hasDFS store. There is also a Spar on Oakland Avenue, aTesco Express on Primsland plus a newSainsbury's store and petrol station andMarks & Spencer's store and petrol station being constructed. In 2019 a Lidl supermarket opened opposite Aldi, increasing the competition in the area.
Banks in the town includeHSBC,Santander, Lloyds andBarclays.[19] There are a number ofestate agents. HSBC closed in July 2023. Barclays bank has also closed, Papa John is now in its place.
Until the late 1990sDroitwich Spa Lido was open as a public open-air salt-water swimming pool. Following its closure various schemes were proposed, with significant legal and commercial arguments as to the viability of re-building and reopening this facility.
During autumn of 2006, work started on renovating the lido and it was reopened on Monday 18 June 2007. TheLido Park remains a pleasant and popular space, with Droitwich Cricket Ground on its edge as well as a bandstand with regular performances.[citation needed]
TheNorbury Theatre hosts regular shows year-round, including an annual pantomime, and also shows films.[20]
On the outskirts of the town is the famousChateau Impney, built in the style of a traditional Frenchchateau, which is now a hotel, restaurant and conference centre. In Droitwich, the Raven Hotel is awattle and daub hotel that holds a central position within the town.
The Droitwich Spa pyramid of schools works on athree tier system, with onehigh school: (Droitwich Spa High School); twomiddle schools (Witton Middle School and Westacre Middle School); and ninefirst schools (Chawson, Cutnall Green, Hindlip, Ombersley, St. Peter's, St. Joseph's (a Primary School feeding into Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, Worcester), Tibberton, Westlands—originally Boycott Farm First School—and Wychbold First Schools). There is also the private Dodderhill School (formerly named Whitford Hall and Dodderhill), an independent school for girls from 3 to 16 years (with some boys present in the nursery school). During 2019 the school merged with Royal Grammar School (RGS) Worcester, under the nameRGS Dodderhill.
Droitwich children are also educated at schools outside the town includingWorcester'sRoyal Grammar School and theKing's School, Hawford Lodge, the Grange, Bromsgrove School with others typically travelling to Birmingham, Kidderminster, Hagley and Stourbridge by rail.
Regional local news and television programmes are provided byBBC West Midlands andITV Central. Television signals are received from either the Bromsgrove orSutton Coldfield TV transmitters.[21][22]
Local radio stations areBBC Hereford and Worcester,Heart West Midlands,Radio Wyvern,Capital Mid-Counties,Greatest Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire,Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, andSmooth West Midlands.
The Droitwich Standard is the town's weekly local newspaper.[23]
There are six churches in Droitwich including theAnglican church ofSt Andrew's, aNorman building whereSt Richard was probably baptised.[24] The church tower was demolished in the 1920s after becoming dangerous due to landsubsidence.[24]St. Augustine's atDodderhill, completed in 1220 and rebuilt in the 18th century on a hill, was the site of a formerRoman fort and a laterAnglo-Saxon church.[25] St Peter's, built on the site of a former Saxon church, has parts, including the chancel, that date from Norman times, and has a memorial toEdward Winslow, one of thePilgrim Fathers, who was born in the parish.[26]
St Nicholas was built inVictorian times near therailway station;[27] and theRoman CatholicChurch of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine of Alexandria, on a building styled on the Romanbasilica churches ofRavenna in Italy, has the feature of the interior walls being covered almost entirely ofmosaic and marble designed byGabriel Pippet.[28]There are also a number of other chapels including Methodist, Baptist and a vibrantSalvation Army hall. In 2019 the tired 1970s Emmanuel Church building at Chawson was demolished and was replaced with a new modern hall.[29]
Droitwichleisure centre at Briar Mill has gym facilities, sports halls, a swimming pool andsquash courts. There are also outsidefootball and astroturf pitches with floodlighting. The centre also runs a squash league.
Droitwich Spa Football Club was formed in 1985 and currently plays in the West Midlands (Regional) League 1st Division. Their home ground is also at Briar Mill, but due to ground grading regulations the club now plays its home games at Stourport Swifts, until the planned development of their former home at Briar Mill is complete. The club also has a junior section of Under 16, Under 18 & Under 21 sides.
TheDroitwich Rugby Football Club has been playingrugby union since 1972. Droitwich Archery Society, based at the Droitwich Rugby Football Ground, is a target archery club that was formed in 1967, and is affiliated to TheGrand National Archery Society. Other local sports includeboxing, judo,Tae Kwon Do,Karate,Ju Jitsu and tennis.
Vines Park Bowling Club is a green bowling club situated by the canal in Vines Park. Bowling also available in the Lido Park Droitwich Spa Pool League is headquartered at theFox and Goose pub on Westlands.
Droitwich Spa also has a cricket club in which they support four Saturday teams and two on a Sunday.
Droitwich Tennis Club (f.1920),[30] staged two notable tournament throughout its history theDroitwich Open that ran from 1928 to 1939, and theDroitwich Open Hard Courts from 1968 to 1974.[31][32]
Destinations from Droitwich Spa | |
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Droitwich Spa istwinned with:
showing that the Droitwich Spring contains in every Imperial Gallon of water nearly 20,000 grains of solid constituents
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