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Piers Well



NGR 77692 45104
Site Number: C92
By Bruce Osborne and Cora Weaver (C) 2012
Area 1. Malvern Town Centre Springs and Wells
Malvern Hills, England


Location: in College Road.
Description: a spring and well no longer accessible

Littlebury's Directory of Worcester and District of 1879 records that Turkish baths, Piers Well, and some other baths, were all part of Dr Walter Johnson's baths at the bottom of the garden of Malvernbury, his hydropathic establishment. The baths were used for hydrotherapy during the nineteenth century. Dr Johnson retired and left Malvern in December 1890, and there is no evidence that his baths were used after he left.

There were many uses for water in Victorian Malvern. As the town and the water supply grew so new uses for water became apparent. Street watering was a major use of water during hot dusty summers as was fire fighting. Stop cocks and hydrants were installed for such purposes. In West Malvern an early iron hydrant can be seen built into a wall on the eastern side of the West Malvern Road. Later such facilities were installed beneath the pavement with access from a manhole. The Malvern Advertiser of 18 March 1882 records that a hydrant was to be provided in College Road, just above the Nook.

Conduits uncovered during the construction of the college chaplain's house, and the fact that his lounge floor gets damp during the winter, suggests that his house was built over the spring or over a leaking conduit running from the spring. We are grateful to June Hebden and the college chaplain for this information.

 
Illustrations:
1. The Chaplains House, site of Piers Well from the back.
2. Piers Well water was utilised in Dr Walter Johnson's hydropathic baths. (Reproduced from the 1885/6 Ordnance Survey map ref.XXXIX.16.5)
3. Malvernbury and Dr Johnson's Baths 1862 from Norman May's Guide to Malvern.

The map alongside is a small section of our more comprehensive map of the area. For the complete map together with a description and history of this site see "Celebrated Springs of the Malvern Hills" (2012).
 
 
Click on Website below or the top banner to go to the DISCOVERY TRAIL INDEX of springs and wells.




Website: Click Here

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

 

Celebrated Springs of 
THE MALVERN HILLS
  

 

A definitive work that is the culmination of 20 years researching the springs and wells of the Malvern Hills, published by Phillimore. This is the ideal explorers guide enabling the reader to discover the location and often the astounding and long forgotten history of over 130 celebrated springs and wells sites around the Malvern Hills. The book is hard back with dust cover, large quarto size with lavish illustrations and extended text. Celebrated Springs contains about 200 illustrations and well researched text over a similar number of pages, together with seven area maps to guide the explorer to the locations around the Malvern Hills. It also includes details on the long history of bottling water in the Malvern Hills.


Written by Bruce Osborne and Cora Weaver, this book is available on-line for £15.00 (delivered UK) - click Malvern Bookshop on the green panel top left. Alternatively send a cheque payable to Cora Weaver with your name and address to 4 Hall Green, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 3QX.





1) TOPOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
Malvern Hills - arguably Britain's original National Park
2) LANDSCAPE:
Built Up Location
3) INFORMATION CATEGORY:
A Spring, Spout, Fountain or Holy Well Site
4) MALVERN SPRING OR WELL SITE DETAILS:
1 SPLASH - Lost - Nothing Much To See
5) GENERAL VISITOR INFORMATION:
On Private Property








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