Spa Treatments in Bath

For over 2000 years, people have been drawn to the waters here in Bath. They have bathed, sought healing, worshipped, and socialised in the only natural hot springs in the country. There have been numerous spa sites in Bath since the Roman period and, in the 1800s, it was a thriving spa town. The current free display in the King’s Lounge focuses on the Victorian bathing establishment.

“If they can’t be cured by drinking and bathing here, they will never be cured anywhere” Dr Oliver, A Practical Dissertation on the Bath Waters, 1707

Map of Bath (1959) showing Victorian spa sites.

This consisted of three sites:

• the redeveloped Hot Bath, known as Old Royal Baths (1829) which included Bath’s first spa swimming bath, the Beau Street Swimming Bath
• the New Royal Baths and Physical Treatment Centre, which opened as a luxurious treatment centre in 1870
• the New Queen’s Baths, next to the King’s Bath, which showcased fashionable treatments from 1889.

The Stall Street entrance to the Roman Baths
with a sign for the King’s and Queens Baths.

These centres and their spa treatments remained popular through to the 20^th century.

With the Physical Treatment Centre, new and fashionable treatments were made available, inspired by spa towns on the continent. Much of the spa equipment was custom made, and included variants on the Needle Douche, the Plombières Douche, and a sulphur bath. The Vichy Needle Douche was named after the prestigious spa town in Vichy, France. A lifting mechanism was custom made for the Hot Bath, slings or chairs lifted patients in and out of the water.

Electricity was used in conjunction with mineral water,
including the Hydro-Electric Four-cell Bath, in which
patients’ limbs were placed in four separate tubs, allowing the
controlled current to pass in any direction.

The water was celebrated for its healing properties, some believed this to be due to the presence of radium, now known to be a toxic gas. This was seen in treatments such as Radium Inhalatorium, in which radium was inhaled through the nose or mouth, or, when used with mineral water, as a nasal or throat spray. Although the water was proudly advertised as radioactive, in reality radium is only present in minute quantities.

During World War One, thousands of wounded soldiers were sent to Bath to recover. They received treatments at the Mineral Water Hospital and the New Royal Baths were enlarged in 1915 to provide facilities specifically designed for them.

After the Second World War, the baths’ popularity began to decline. Leisure travel and spa therapy were no longer fashionable, and the city’s infrastructure had been damaged during the Bath Blitz. The New Queen’s Bath was demolished in 1970 and the Physical Treatment Centre closed in 1976, following the withdrawal of NHS funding established in 1948.

Temporary display in the King's Lounge.

The objects displayed in the King’s Lounge were removed prior to work on the new Thermae Spa which opened in 2003. They include a hook and handle from the lifting mechanism used to lower patients into the Hot Bath, a pressure gauge from a Vichy Douche, a thermometer which hung in the Hot Bath, and a pamphlet which details treatments and their prices in April 1923.

You can see the display for free by accessing the Stall Street entrance during opening hours between 10am-5pm.

Eleanor 

Collections Assistant 

The Healing Waters of Bath

Caitlin presents the healing waters of Bath

The hot springs at Bath have long been considered to heal the sick. The Romans mainly used baths for leisure, but several writers, such as Pliny the Elder, Asclepiades and Celsus, talked about the therapeutic benefits.

In Britain, for about 1500 years the belief was that the hot water balanced the humours, which would make you healthy again. As the minerals gave it a dry taste and immersion made you urinate more, hot baths were considered hot/dry, which is odd, as you would think a hot bath would be hot/wet!

The four humours and their interactions

By the medieval period, the Church was against bathing, calling it a luxury. It considered the Roman baths to be immoral, so many baths fell into disrepair. Later, the Church condoned the use of bathing for healing/spiritual purification, and so in the 1100s the Kings Baths were built on the sacred spring by the Bishop of Bath at the time.

As the Baths became more and more popular, there were even some royal visitors such as King Charles I in the 1600s and Queen Anne in 1702 and 1703. By the Georgian period, people began to drink the water instead of bathing with the crowds. In 1706, the Pump Room was built for those who wished to drink the water, rather than bathe in it. Drinking the water became much more popular and trendier so the Pump Room was expanded in 1795.

Glass bottle for "NOTED BATH WATERS, 1894"

With more competition from other spa towns, like Tunbridge Wells and Leamington Spa, in Britain, new treatments were on offer at the Spa Treatment Centre in Bath, such as electrotherapy and needle douches. These new treatments boosted visitors, and by the 1890s, 100,000 people had visited the baths. It was also during this period that the remains of the Roman baths were revealed, although evidence of a Roman Bath house in the area had been known since 1755.

Spa treatment photographs. L: Man standing in needle douche; R: Man being lowered into the Hot Bath

The beginning of the 20^th century brought new treatment innovations with the discovery of radon and radiotherapy, which helped keep the Spa Treatment Centre visitors numbers high. However, after the Second World War, visitor numbers declined due to fewer people travelling for leisure, and in 1948, treatment centre was under the control of the NHS. Treatments soon were only available to those with a prescription, and then in 1978 the Bath treatment centres were shut after spa treatment therapy was dismissed by orthodox medicine.

Caitlin

Collections Volunteer

Having got our collections into our new store in Lansdown, described by Zofia’s blog, there was still lots to do to get it presentable for our first Open Day last week.

We dusted everything, wrote new labels for the furniture and our interns, Dulcie and Polly Mae devised a fabulous rhyming children’s trail.

 A happy Polly Mae ready to welcome people to our store...

Our handy-man, Phil, spent hours attaching grilles onto the walls, so plaques, copies of photos and many, many pipes from the old spa could be viewed without being touched, as well as balancing a model of the Pump Room above one of  the Roman Baths!

Our Operations team ferried final objects from the Roman Baths, that hadn’t fitted into the old store, as well as less prosaic but essential mops and brushes…

Two visitors ponder over the Vichy douche, with the Pump Room model above the baths model in the foreground

Thursday dawned and when the Park and Ride bus got us up the hill we remembered how we’d scoffed at the near-do-wells who all summer had warned us of Lansdown being colder, snowier than the rest of  Bath. It was cold, wet and windy... Ashley and Phil struggled to get our banners up and our bunting was a bit bedraggled but our small gazebo went up without a hitch and with volunteer, Alison’s catering skills, we were able to offer our brave visitors a warm drink and a mini cake to celebrate our opening.

 Lansdown Store on our Open Day, 26^th October

The children’s trail was a success and visitors who’d been to our Locksbrook store noticed things they hadn’t appreciated before. At the end of the day we were happy that all the hard work by everyone had paid off.

However, we haven’t finished our jobs up on Lansdown as our work will continue well into the winter, as we put the collection “to bed”: covering the furniture with Tyvek sheets to reduce dust accumulating, checking our insect traps and the dehumidifiers, lifting the objects off the floor, just in case we have floods.  So we may yet see the promised snow!

Susan

Locksbrook to Lansdown!

It’s busy-ness as usual for the Collections team this week as we’re moving the contents of our Local History store all the way from St Johns Store on Locksbrook Road up to a new and improved store in Lansdown.

Needle douches at St Johns Store

The move has involved considerable planning, as the collection ranges from rickety needle douches to beautiful wooden furniture. Originally, the new space seemed like it would be too small for the sheer amount of objects, but with the installation of a mezzanine floor and some lovely new racking, the move was fit to go ahead.

A hair hygrometer measures the humidity of the atmosphere in %RH (relative humidity)

Of course we hit a few bumps in the road – mostly to do with conservation because the environment up on Lansdown isn’t always the friendliest! On one of the first days of planning the move, we took a hygrometer with us to measure the moisture in the air, which read 92% RH (relative humidity) after just an hour! Considering the nature of the collection (lots of wood and metal), which requires a much drier, more stable environment this had to be dealt with quickly. Today, we have just the machines for the job – two dehumidifiers that consistently keep the humidity in the store at a balmy 45%RH.

Planning the move!

Even with the racking put in place, space was still an issue. The only way to solve this was to chalk it up to experience and literally draw chalk lines onto the floor, outlining the shapes and sizes of objects to make sure we were using the remaining space as efficiently as possible. It’s not just a matter of being able to squeeze around it – we also need to have access for collections purposes as well as for our visitors to view these amazing objects!

A beautiful desk fits snugly in its allotted area of floor space

I can’t express my delight when all this hard work paid off and each object slotted smoothly into its intended space to within a centimetre of the chalked outlines! Work continues today to get everything moved to Lansdown, and it’s already looking like the store we always wanted.

The move is still in progress, but we'll be open for visitors soon!

Join us up at Lansdown North on the 26^th October from 11am-3pm to celebrate the Grand Opening of our new store. For more information, please visit the Museums Week website.

Zofia

Collections Assistant

Rings fit for Kings...

We don’t venture onto the site unless necessary, and so it is that in my three years at The Roman Baths, I am still ticking off areas of the site I’ve been on! I came in recently to discover the Sacred Spring being cleaned (this is something that is done periodically to remove excess build-up of algae (and bird feathers!)), and having a valid excuse to venture through the door to the Spring, I went exploring…

We’re currently designing a new display to go in the King’s Lounge (overlooking the Sacred Spring), and one of the objects going in the case is a 17^th century bathing ring. There are 25 of these, still in situ around the walls of what was the King’s Bath; but as there would also have been rings around the Queen’s Bath, I was eager to see if we could establish whether the ring came from the King’s Bath…it looks like it may be from the King’s Bath, there’s a pretty big hole it could have fitted!

Bathing ring from the King’s Bath

Currently in the King’s Lounge, we have the detail of some of the inscriptions on the bathing rings, and so whilst down there I took the opportunity to do a photographic survey of all the rings I could (safely) reach, wanting to see how many it was possible to still identify…

Well, so far I have managed six; the inscriptions on the rings have been worn over time, so I was working with varying levels of visible inscription.

Working with the illustration and comparing them to my photos, I was able to identify four of the rings.

Three of the inscribed rings, in situ

Further research led me to discover that in a book of 1883 ‘The Mineral Bath’s of Bath: The Bathes of Bathe’s Ayde in the Reign of Charles II’ by Charles E. Davis, there were inscriptions of 13 bathing rings around the King’s Bath. Using this information I was able to identify another ring that we had illustrated (though all you can see today is the inscription on the attachment, which wasn’t illustrated).

Bathing ring identified by inscription on attachment

One further ring, though not illustrated, had enough of its inscription remaining to be identifiable using the publication; reading ‘Sir William Whitmore, Barronnet, when Mr. Robert Chapman his Frind was 2^nd the Mayor, 1677’.

Bathing ring identified through 1883 publication

Further rings bear hints of remaining inscription; maybe one day we’ll be able to get closer looks at them all and identify more.

Verity

Collections Assistant

Tout sur... La radiographie (It's all about... X-rays)

National Science and Engineering Week (la Semaine nationale de la science et l'ingénierie) nous a donné l’occasion pour découvrir quelques aspects moins communs de l'archéologie. Parmi ces aspects, la radiographie est toujours restée un mystère pour moi. Nous avons tous entendu parler de la radiographie, et la plupart des gens a déjà passé une radiographie pour des raisons médicales, mais la radiographie est aussi une technique d'analyse très utile pour les archéologues!

Zosia au stand radiographie

La radiographie est un type de radiation électromagnétique pouvant créer des images qui montrent les caractéristiques et les détails invisibles qui ne à l'œil nu. Il est essentiel de radiographier les objets en métal pour créer un souvenir visuel de la composition de l’objet ainsi que sa forme et sa condition. La radiographie peut aussi identifier un objet s’il est couvert par des couches de corrosion ou de concrétion. La radiographie est une méthode d'examen scientifique qui ne dérange ni ne détruit les objets de quelque manière que ce soit.

Pour ces raisons, les objets sont souvent radiographiés pendant le processus de conservation. Tous les objets choisis pour l'exposition font partie de l'excavation de Thermae Spa en centre ville de Bath, et ils ont été sélectionnés pour la place qu’occupe leurs radiographies au sein des archives.

Une radiographie d'une pièce de monnaie qui fait tirée des excavations SPA98.

En général, presque tous les objets en métal devraient être radiographiés, mais c'est moins efficace pour les grands objets ou les alliages de plomb. Cette technique est utile parce qu'elle peut démasquer des petits outils piégés dans la corrosion et elle peut aussi exposer les marques d'identification sur les pièces de monnaie qui ont perdu les détails sur leur surface. Les découvertes fragiles ou complexes sont souvent soulevées dans un bloc de terre, et la radiographie est utilisée pour voir et localiser leur contenu afin de les fouiller d’une manière plus prudente dans un laboratoire. Par exemple, si on radiographit un bloc de terre qui contient un trésor de pièces de monnaie, on peut apprendre comment il a été déposé, car l'image va révéler les groupes ou les couches.

Les détails ornementaux sur la surface des objets, comme l'incrustation ou l'émail, peuvent aussi être vus avec la radiographie. Les couches non-ferreuses deviennent visibles au cause de la différence entre la densité de chaque métal.

Les recommandations du groupe English Heritage sur la radiographie des articles de ferronnerie archéologiques (http://www.helm.org.uk/upload/pdf/X_Radiography.pdf?1331775979) (en anglais) contiennent beaucoup d'images qui montrent la valeur de la radiographie des articles de ferronnerie. Ce site contient des images de l'incrustation et de l'identification des pièces de monnaie. Je vous conseille de regarder ce site, même si ce n’est que pour vous émerveiller devant de belles images!

Source text: http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/its-all-about-x-rays.html

Translated by Sarah Uhl - Cardiff  University MA Tanslation Student.

Es dreht sich alles um... Röntgenstrahlung (It's all about.... X-rays)

Die Nationale Woche der Wissenschaft und Technik bot uns die Möglichkeit ungewöhnlichere Themen der Archäologie zu beleuchten und eines, das schon immer ein Rätsel für mich darstellte, ist Röntgenografie. Wir alle haben von Röntgenstrahlen gehört - die meisten Menschen wurden schon einmal an irgendwelchen Körperteilen aus medizinischen Gründen geröntgt - aber nun stellt sich heraus, dass das Röntgen auch eine sehr hilfreiche analytische Methode für Archäologen ist!

Zosia am Stand für Röntgenstrahlung

Röntgenografie ist ein Form von elektromagnetischer Strahlung, welche es uns ermöglicht Bilder mit Merkmalen und Details, die für das bloße Auge unsichtbar sind, herzustellen. Bei metallischen Röntgenobjekten ist es wichtig ein bildliches Protokoll zu erstellen, das nicht nur des Artefakts Form und Zustand zeigt, aber auch wie es angefertigt wurde. Röntgenbestrahlung kann auch bei der Identifikation eines Objektes behilflich sein, wenn es durch Schichten von Korrosion oder Konkretion bedeckt ist. Die Röntgenografie verkörpert eine exzellente wissenschaftliche Untersuchungsmethode ohne die archäologischen Funde in jeglicher Weise zu beeinflussen oder zu zerstören.

Aus diesen Gründen werden Artefakte im Rahmen des Erhaltungsprozesses geröntgt. Die Objekte, die für den Demonstrationsstand ausgewählt wurden, stammen alle von Ausgrabungen in den Thermalbädern Thermae Spa im Zentrum Baths und sie wurden ausgewählt, da Röntgenbilder von den Artefakten im Archiv vorhanden sind.

Röntgenbild einer römischen Münze aus den SPA98 Ausgrabungen

Generell gesprochen sollten fast alle Metallobjekte geröntgt werden, obwohl die Methode weniger effektiv bei sehr großen Proben oder Bleilegierungen erscheint. Es ist dennoch hilfreich, da es an kleineren Gegenständen, die sich in Korrosion befanden, diese verdeutlicht und Kennzeichen auf Münzen mit abgetragenen Oberflächen ans Licht bringen kann. Zerbrechliche oder komplizierte Funde werden oft in einem Erdblock geborgen und geröntgt, um das Objekt für eine umsichtigere Ausgrabung im Labor genau zu lokalisieren. Beispielsweise kann das Röntgen eines Erdblock, der einen Münzhort beinhaltet, Aufschluss darüber geben, wie die Münzen deponiert wurden, da das Röntgenbild die Anordnungen und Schichten aufdeckt.

Dekorative Muster an Oberflächen, so wie Einlegearbeiten oder Emaille, können ebenfalls durch die Röntgenbestrahlung erkannt werden und Schichten, die kein Eisen enthalten, werden sichtbar, aufgrund der verschiedenen Dichte zwischen den Metallen. Die Richtlinien der englischen Denkmalschutzorganisation English Heritage für Röntgenografie von archäologischen Metallarbeiten (http://www.helm.org.uk/upload/pdf/X_Radiography.pdf?1331775979 ) beinhalten einige tolle Beispiele, die genau zeigen, wie wertvoll das Röntgen von Metallartefakten sein kann, einschließlich Fotos von Einlegearbeiten und der Identifikation von Münzen. Ich kann wirklich empfehlen einen Blick darauf zu werfen, sei es auch einfach nur um die wunderschönen Bilder zu bewundern!

Source text: http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/its-all-about-x-rays.html

Translated by Mirjam Zdybel - Cardiff  University MA Tanslation Student.

Connecting Collections – Spa Treatment Centre Equipment

St. John’s Store is home to a wide variety of objects including furniture, retired models and spa equipment. This three part series will look at the history of the building, the spa related objects and the furniture collection.

Part 3 - Spa Treatment Centre Equipment

The hot waters of Bath have long been used for the therapeutic treatment of medical ailments, over the years a variety of recreational baths and hospitals have sprung up, all tapping into the natural resource of the warm mineral water from the hot springs.

One such place was The Spa Treatment Centre which opened in 1870 offering a series of luxurious treatments for those who could afford it. The centre grew in popularity and demand during the late 1800s and early 1900s offering treatments for all different kinds of ailments from simple aches and pains, to sciatica and rheumatism and in extreme cases permanent disabilities.

Many of the treatments are still used today but in different forms; the sauna is often seen in gyms and the aeration bath (see below) was the precursor to the modern day Jacuzzi.......

The spa equipment came into the Roman Baths collection after the closure of the Spa Treatment Centre in 1983.

Vichy Bath and Douche

This Victorian invention was named after the spa town in France. The treatment consisted of a massage under a series of shower heads.

“So great had been the demand for this treatment that a further Vichy suite has just been added to the Royal Baths.” The Book of Bath, 1920’s

BATRM 2000.11.1 Vichy Bath and Douche

Needle Douches

A needle douche is an all-round shower which produces fine needle-like jets of spring water. It was one of many treatments available at the Spa Treatment Centre from the 1870s to 1976.

BATRM 1986.491 Needle Douche

Walking Frame

Late Victorian wooden and brass walking frame. The brass frame has four small wheels supporting the solid wooden base. Used by patients in the Spa Treatment Centre.

BATRM 1986.491.47 Walking Frame

Aeration Bath

A deep bath that worked like a modern Jacuzzi. There are a series of pipes in the bottom of the bath which supplied the spring water at high pressure. The bather would lie on a wooden board and back rest.

BATRM 1986.606 Aeration Bath

The store is open to the public several times a year, with the next store open day on Saturday 9th June 2012 from 11am until 3pm. Please do come along and visit us – for more information and directions please follow this link
http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/events/behind_the_scenes_tours.aspx
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/296443413763889/

It's all About..... X-Rays

National Science and Engineering week gave us an opportunity to look at some of the more unusual topics in archaeology, and one that has always been a mystery to me is X-radiography. We’ve all heard of X-rays – most people have had some part of them X-rayed for medical reasons – but it turns out that they are also a really helpful analytical technique for archaeologists!

Zosia at the X-ray table

X-radiography is a form of electromagnetic radiation that allows us to create images showing features and details invisible to the naked eye. It is important to X-ray metal objects to create visual record of how an artefact was made, as well as its shape and condition. X-rays can also help with identification if an artefact is hidden by layers of corrosion or concretion, and are an excellent means of scientific examination without affecting or destroying archaeological finds in any way.

For these reasons, artefacts are often X-rayed as part of the conservation process. The examples used for the handling table are all from the excavation of the Thermae Spa in Bath city centre, and were chosen because the archive contained copies of their X-rays.

X-ray of a Roman coin from the SPA98 excavations

In general almost all metal objects should be X-rayed, although it is less effective on very large examples or lead alloys. It is a useful technique because it can reveal small implements trapped within corrosion, and can often expose identifying marks on coins that have lost their surface detail. Fragile or complex finds tend to be lifted in a block of soil, and X-rayed to view and pinpoint the contents for more careful excavation in a laboratory. For example, X-raying a soil block containing a coin hoard could provide information about how it was deposited, as the image would reveal groupings or layers.

Decorative surface details such as inlay or enamel can also be seen through X-ray, and non-ferrous coatings become visible due to the difference in density between the metals.

The English Heritage guidelines on the X-radiography of archaeological metalwork (http://www.helm.org.uk/upload/pdf/X_Radiography.pdf?1331775979  ) has a number of beautiful examples that show exactly how valuable X-raying metal artefacts can be, including images of inlay details and coin identification. I really recommend browsing through it, even if it is just to marvel at the lovely pictures!

Zosia - Collections Intern

The Prince of Monaco Visits the New Royal Baths

During a quiet moment at St. John’s Store (The Roman Baths’ local history store on Locksbrook Road) I was flipping through the Bathers Report Book for the New Royal Baths and I came across a thank you letter from the Prince of Monaco dated September 28th, 1894.

Bathers Report Book

The letter was written by the Prince’s secretary, A. Blanchy, and from the secretary’s account it sounds like the Prince had a lovely time. Have a read:

Secrétariat des Commandements de S.A.S. Msr. Le Prince de Monaco

D’après les instructions de S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco, j’ai l’honneur de vous faire commaitre que le Prince c’est bien trouvé de l’installation médicale des bains de Bath, tout le personnel et le materiel se laissant rien à desirer.

A. Blanchy
Attaché au Secrétariat des Commandements
Bath le 28 Septembre 1984

Original Version

Translation:

Secretary’s Office of Commande of Son Atesse Serene Monseigneur the Prince of Monaco.
According to instruction from S.A.S. Prince of Monaco I have the honour to let you know that the Prince benefited by the “installation médicale” of the Baths of Bath, the attendants being all that can be desired.

(signed) A. Blanchy
Attaché au Secrétariat des Commandements
Bath 28th of Sept. 1894

Translated Version

St. John’s Store is full of spa equipment from the Spa Treatment Centre which closed in 1983. Many of the people who come to visit the stores remember having treatments at the Spa Centre. What about you? Did you ever experience the “installation médicale”?


Joanna