Aspects of Life in 19th Century Worcestershire

Malvern Water Cure

The reason Malvern water is so special is because it contains no minerals at all, and is totally pure. In the early nineteenth century, the German, Vincent Priessnitz, discovered hydropathy. This is the use of water to cure illnesses. His theories spread to England via the efforts of prominent Malvern doctors such as Dr James Wilson, Dr James Manby Gully and Dr Ralph barnes Grindrod. After the death of Dr Wilson in 1867, the attractions of the Malvern water cure began to deline, due to the growth of spa establishments on the continent.

Please click on the thumbnails for a larger picture.

St Anne's Well, Malvern, c.1900 This was Malvern's most popular spring, and was dedicated to the patron saint of springs and wells.

.   'Needless Fears' and 'Rubbing with a sheet', Cartoons from 'Malvern Punch', 1863

Cover of 'Three Weeks in Wet Sheets', 1856 This was a wildly exaggerated contemporary account of the Malvern Water Cure, by John Leech.

Further Reading

Janet Grierson, Dr Wilson and his Malvern Hydro: Park View in the Water Cure Era, (Malvern, 1998)

John Winsor Harcup, The Malvern Water Cure or Victims for weeks in Wet Sheets, (Malvern, 1992)

Cora Weaver, Malvern as a Spa Town (The Water Cure), (Malvern, 1991)