Droitwich Article Index for
Droitwich
Articles about
Droitwich Spa
Website Links For
Droitwich
 

Information About

Droitwich




Droitwich Spa is a town in northern s ran to the town.


Salt and Brine


Salt was extracted by pumping up saturated brine from the salt deposits, and evaporating the brine; over the years the removal of enormous quantities of salt from the substrata of the town led to considerable, if gradual, subsidence in some parts of the town; one photograph from the early 20th century shows one Droitwich house tilted at a considerable angle from the vertical.

In the 19th Century , Droitwich became famous as a Spa Town . Unlike other places, the medicinal benefits were not derived from drinking the spa water, which is almost saturated brine, but from the muscular relief derived by swimming and floating in such a dense, concentrated salt solution, at the town's brine baths (first opened in 1830 ).

The original Brine Baths have long since closed, but a new brine bath (part of the Droitwich Spa private hospital) is open to the public for relaxation and hydrotherapy.

The salt industry was industrialised and developed in the 19th century by John Corbett who built the nearby Chateau Impney .

Opened in the


INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE



Transport

Two canals meet in Droitwich, the Barge canal ( James Brindley , 1771 ) and the Junction canal ( 1854 ). The Junction canal linked Droitwich to the Worcester And Birmingham Canal .
Plans are currently being made to re-connect Droitwich to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.


Broadcasting

Near Droitwich there is the central Longwave broadcasting facility of the UK ( Wychbold BBC transmitter), which is also used for transmissions in the medium wave range, AM Transmitter Droitwich . It was sited near Droitwich because the huge block of underground salt provided a good ground earth and increased signal strength (as related by Mr. Humphreys, Chief Engineer for many years).


Retail

In 2005 Waitrose opened a new Supermarket in the grounds of the old covered market, directly behind the heavily-subsided High Street. Droitwich Town centre also has both a Morrisons and a Kwik Save .
Other shops in the central shopping precinct include: Boots The Chemist , W H Smith , Peacocks , Argos (soon to be built) and Wilkinsons .

There are a range of banks represented in the town, including NatWest , HSBC , Alliance & Leicester , Lloyds TSB , Halifax and Barclays .


AMENITIES



Lido

Until the late-90s Droitwich Spa Lido was open as a public open-air salt-water swimming pool. Since then various schemes have come and gone, legal/commercial arguments continue as to the viability of re-building and reopening this facility.
The Lido Park remains a pleasant and popular space, with Droitwich Cricket Ground on its edge.


Entertainment

The Norbury Theatre hosts regular shows year-round.
Much of the Norbury Theatre Building has been turned into apartments.

Droitwich has a selection of eat-in and take-out restaurants.

There are currently no late night clubs in Droitwich, with many people choosing to go to Worcester or even Birmingham for a night out. There are of plenty of pubs in Droitwich including: The Fox and Goose, The Riflemans Arms, The Star and Garter, The Hop Pole, The Red Lion, Barley Mow, The Doverdale and The Castle.

Of these pubs, the Red Lion has taken on 24-hour licencing.

The Raven Hotel is a Wattle and Daub hotel that holds a central position within the town.


Schools

The Droitwich Spa pyramid of schools works on a three tier system, with one high school (Droitwich Spa High School); two middle schools (Witton Middle School and Westacre Middle School); and nine first schools (Chawson, Cutnall Green, Hindlip, Ombersley, St Peters, St Josephs, Tibberton, Westlands and Wychbold First Schools). There is also a fee paying private school, Whitford and Dodderhill.

Until the late 80s another middle school existed called St. Richard De Wych, C of E. This school was closed and the land built on with further housing development in the Westlands Estate (Formerly known as 'Boycott Estate')


FAMOUS DROITWICHIANS



TWINNING



FURTHER READING

  • ''Around Droitwich'' (Archive Photograph Series) - ISBN 0752407473

  • ''Droitwich in Old Photographs'' - ISBN 0862994217

  • ''The Droitwich Discovery'' - ISBN 057312146X



EXTERNAL LINKS