Places

Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire

Tenbury Wells Pump Room C Philip Pankhurst

In 1839, a Dr Granville was traveling to Tenbury Wells, as he was conducting a survey to find seventy spa spots on the English landscape. Royal Leamington and Cheltenham were already ‘foremost towns’ for ‘taking the waters’. But Tenbury’s waters were found to be high in minerals, and deemed to be of medicinal value.

Due to the economic potential of developing spa towns, Granville’s findings generated interest in business terms. A spa facility was constructed under the stewardship of a Mr Hall (a London surgeon) in the 1850s, and the town upgraded its name to ‘Tenbury Wells’.

However, the spa was inefficient under Mr Hall, and it closed in 1855. Renewed attempts to bring it to life again manifested with the addition of pump rooms in 1862. But the vogue of the spa town had now passed, with seaside resorts replacing them.

The pump rooms is now a Grade II listed building, owned and managed by Tenbury Town Council. The Town Clerk’s office is located there, and Council Meetings are held in the main Assembly Room. They are also available for hire, and it is a registered venue for civil ceremonies.

Read more about spa towns in our feature here.

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