Droitwich Spa Today Gallery
Droitwich Spa is a town of some 25,000 people and growing rapidly. The town is five miles from Worcester and approximately 23 miles from Birmingham accessed from the M5 motorway at Junction 5 (from the North) or Junction 6 (from the South). For people driving on the motorway it is often recognised by the radio transmitter masts which for years have made Droitwich a main link in the history of radio broadcasting.
Today it blends the old with the new and is surrounded by splendid Worcestershire countryside with a number of small villages close by that fall into the town's postal area. The Town Tour links many of these photographs and provides background information. Droitwich Spa is linked to the German town of Bad Ems. See also the Twinning Association's web site. (Hover over thumbnails for larger image).
The town sign of Droitwich Spa.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century Hanbury Wharf, situated on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, was a transhipment point for goods to be taken by land to Droitwich. When the Droitwich Junction Canal was opened in 1853 it became a busy commercial wharf at the junction of the two canals. The wharf still has a short arm that was used to unload coal and other goods and is now used to display boats for sale.
Westwood House. This exquisite and exceptional Grade I listed house is understood to have been granted with its lands after the dissolution of the monasteries by the Henry VIII to Sir John Packington in around 1539. The estate passed through his nephew Thomas and onto his son in 1595 who was made Sheriff of Worcester and duly knighted. It was during this era that the house was enlarged and significant refurbishment carried out. However, it was not until two generations later that much of the stunning ornate works to the house including ceilings and staircases were finished.
Chateau Impney Hotel. This is the house built by John Corbett in the form of a French Chateau reputedly in honour of his French born wife in 1875.
Ombersley. The Crown and Sandys Arms sign in the foreground with the Kings Arms next door.
Wychavon Shop.
St Peters Church & Manor House. The timber-framed manor house was built in the early 17th century. It was the home of Dr Treadway Nash, a well-known historian. He wrote two volumes of the “History of Worcestershire” published in 1781 &1782. The original house had a dovecote with 750 openings. The church has a nave dating from the 12th century and the south transept from the early 13th century.
Victoria Square.
River Salwarpe in Vines Park.
The site of the last brine pumping station in Gurneys Lane which was in operation between 1850 and 1921.
The old Town Hall. This was built in 1825 and superseded a building called the “Exchequer”. The council chamber was upstairs and the ground floor, which was open behind the pillars, was used for a weekly market, which spilled into the square, which was the medieval centre of the town.
The Almshouses were built as the result of a bet between Sir John Packington of Westwood Park and Sir Henry Coventry of Croome Court. Each was convinced he had the fastest horse and a race was arranged with the loser to build almshouses for the needy in the town. Sir John lost the bet but could not honour the debt until on his death in his will he bequeathed £1,000 and the houses were built at the end of the 17th century.
St Richard's House and Information Centre. St. Richard’s House used to be the frontage to the old Brine Baths, which closed in 1974.
A modern day sculpture dedicated to the salt workers who made Droitwich Spa famous.
High Street, looking west. The street was badly flooded in July 2007.
High Street, looking east, with St Andrews church on the right.
St Andrews Shopping Centre in the heart of Droitwich Spa. (Previously known as Salters Shopping Centre).
River Salwarpe - Vines Park. The river rises on Stoney Hill near Bromsgrove & flows towards Droitwich, on the way it is joined by many small streams
A statue commemorating Edward Winslow, produced by Sara Ingleby-MacKenzie the renowned sculptress. The statue depicts the symbolic spot where the Pilgrim Fathers landed near the head of Cape Cod on December 21, 1620. Their intended destination was the British colony of Virginia, but the Mayflower was blown 500 miles off course. The sculpture shows a relieved Edward Winslow taking his first unsteady steps onto dry land.
Raven Hotel. Erected in the reign of Elizabeth I and is a timber-framed structure.
Victoria Square.
Sports Centre and Swimming Pool. Droitwich Leisure Centre is the largest of the Wychavon leisure centres and offers a diverse range of health and fitness facilities to the local community.
Opened in 1985, the centre is conveniently located west of the town centre just off the Droitwich bypass.
The canal in Vines Park.
A mural modelled in clay, depicting important buildings and historical items in Droitwich Spa. These buildings are The Brine Baths, Canal Bridge, Chateau Impney, Font in St. Andrew’s Church, Friar Street Houses, Old Cock Inn, Priory House, Raven Hotel, Sacred Heart Church, a Salt Barge, Salters Hall, St. Augustine’s Church and the Old Town Hall.
Vines Park covers an area of old brine workings. St Richard the patron saint of Droitwich is remembered here with a statue in his honour. The park is just the other side of the Saltway road from the town’s shopping centre and provides a pleasant green corridor along the canal and River Salwarpe.