A strong tradition of health tourism at spa resorts in continental Europe has identified the ‘Kurpark’ and ‘Kurgarten’ (spa parks and spa gardens), as a subtype in garden history, in which the planted environment is an integral part of the visitor experience, an important element of ‘the cure’. Of the many spas in existence at some time in Britain, landscape designed for ‘taking the waters’ has featured in a high proportion of the locations. This online Gardens Trust series of talks looks at notable examples, identifying the characteristics and influence of their planned landscape. The five session course may be purchased for £5 each or all 5 for £20, through Eventbrite, by clicking HERE. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk (If you do not receive this link please contact The Gardens Trust), and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 1 week.

On September 20 Christopher Pound will discuss the spa gardens legacy at Bath. Gardens have always been an essential attribute for all European spa towns. Walking in gardens was important as a diversion from treatments at the mineral springs and baths but they also provided places of entertainment, pleasure and exercise. Bath had several pleasure gardens, but Sydney Gardens survives as the last of the Vauxhalls. Spa gardens in Bath evolved from a formal ‘baroque style’ to take on a character drawn from and influencing the fashionable ‘picturesque’. Many Continental spa towns included gardens laid out in an English informal garden style and some of these were called the ‘English Garden’. The principal gardens in Bath informed the architecture and development of the built form in the city. Eighteenth century doctors in Bath realized that leisure and exercise made an important contribution to restoring and maintaining health and so the gardens and setting of the city were essential parts of the cure and still are. Accordingly, all the gardens, green spaces, woodlands and fabric of the city with its attractive surrounding countryside are a ‘therapeutic landscape’. This is an embracing attribute for the eleven spa towns in the recent UNESCO inscription of ‘The Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site’.

Chris Pound is an architect and a town planner who led teams that prepared the Development Plan, Landscape Strategy and the Conservation Team for the City of Bath and he worked on developing policies for the city following its inscription in 1987 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Chris joined the ICOMOS-UK World Heritage Committee in 1992 and contributed to the creation of the Local Authority World Heritage Forum in 1996. Chris is a Churchill Travelling Fellow. In 1999 he examined the approaches to presentation of values at twelve World Heritage cities in Europe. In Britain, Chris contributed to the nomination of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site. More recently, he contributed to the nomination of the Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021 which includes the city of Bath. www.bathworldheritage.org.uk/great-spa-towns-europe