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German Spa and Pump Room
Print by MU Sears, c1835
A spa nowadays is a very different place from the one that opened in Queen’s Park in 1825. Look at the fashionable visitors who have come in their carriages.
So what did it offer that had many wealthy and distinguished visitors flocking to it? There certainly was not a hot tub or a sauna!
Dr. Struve of Dresden offered the visitors a chemical imitation of the celebrated mineral waters of Germany. The drinking water helped improve their health.
A contemporary advert reads: ‘Particularly good for obstinate disorders of the digestion, derangements of the female constitution, and nervous complaints.’
The Spa remained popular until the 1850s when it became a lemonade factory, before falling into disrepair. The façade was saved and can still be seen today.
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