Old Images of Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire

Old photo of the Worcestershire Brine Baths Hotel in Droitwich Spa, England, printed in 1900

Glimpse history through old images of Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, England, UK.

St Andrew’s Brine Baths

Four young women show off their new modern swim suits before demonstrating the buoyancy of Droitwich Spa’s bathing water in 1926.

Buoyant Belles – At Droitwich Spa (1926): British Pathé (YouTube)

Neville Chamberlain was Minister of Health in 1927 when he opened the newly expanded Droitwich Spa. It would allow treatment of an additional 100 rheumatic cases.

The footage starts with an exterior shot, before the smartly suited men stand an look at a male swimmer inside.

Mr. Neville Chamberlain (1927): British Pathé (YouTube)

In 1933, the Pathe Pictorial newsreel recorded the delights of the warm medicinal brine waters of the Droitwich Spa.

It starts with an exterior shot of St Andrew’s Brine Baths, before showing several young women and some men up to various antics in the water to demonstrate how the water is 40% more buoyant than the Dead Sea.

Bouyant Belles (1933): British Pathé (YouTube)

Droitwich Army Wives’ Hostel (1948)

In 1948, the newsreels visited twelve army wives living in a luxury £60,000 hotel converted to an army wives’ hostel as they waited for their husbands to return to UK shores.

The ‘luxury kitchen’ where professional army chefs serve ‘luncheon’ looks surprisingly basic and industrial to modern eyes. The ‘comfortable lounge’ doesn’t look anything of the sort!

The ‘fully equipped nursery’ seems to consist of one cot and one slide, plus a doll.

Army Wives’ Hostel (1948): British Pathé (YouTube)

1994 VHS Tape

Adam Foulkes bought this VHS tape in a charity shop. Filmed in 1994, it shows the Carnival that year, before looking at the town’s history. In addition to old photos and pictures of the area, there are a number of people and locations of 1994, including the Round Table’s Donkey Derby.

Droitwich Spa – Past and Present video film Circa 1994 from VHS tape: Adam Foulkes (YouTube)

Salt Day 2009

Lots of people enjoyed a sunny Salt Day at Droitwich Spa in 2009.

Salt Day Droitwich Spa 12th September 2009: GordonDipple (YouTube)

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