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Holywell Malvern Spring Water's History
The Malvern Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty. For centuries, locals famous figures like Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens and our own royal family have appreciated the region's water for its taste and alleged healing properties.
Year 1558: Queen Elizabeth I granted John Hornyold Esq. the spring and it remained in his family until 1919.
Year 1603: A 16 verse song about Malvern was written by an unknown author but not published until 1782 by Nash.
Year 1622: Bottling is thought to have at started at Holy Well.
Year 1743: Dr John Wall and William Davies analysed Holy Well water.
Year 1747: A cure for gout, Edward Popham of Tewkesbury built a bath at Holy Well replacing the ruined one and shortly after a wooden hut for poorer patients. Dr John Wall, who stated ‘The Malvern Waters is famed for containing just nothing at all.
Year 1773: A building paid for by subscription was installed over the bath and well.
Year 1776: Dr John Wall dies.
Year 1782: Nash published the song of Malvern in his history of Worcestershire.
Year 1803: Barrett notes treatment with drinking of water, lotions and wet sheets at Holy Well.
Year 1840: Miss Mary Steers, through legal action, prevented the owner of Holy Well from privatising the supply - “always the public should have free access to the water.”
Year 1843: The Current building was constructed in the style of Baden-Baden at the cost of £400.
Year 1850: Schweppes leased the rights to bottle water at Holy Well from burrows (who bottled at St Ann’s Well). Schweppes sold Holy Well water at the Great Exhibition in 1851 as Malvern soda water later to become Malvern Seltzer in 1856.
Year 1892: Schweppes left Holy Well for a newly built factory in Colwall.
Year 1895: Henry and John Cuff bottled at Holy Well until the 1960’s mainly producing soft drinks.
Year 1919: Left ownership of Hornyold descendents when sold on behalf of Duke Gandolfi to Cuff.
Year 1979: Owner Mr John Parkes restored Holy Well from a state of ruin and the site gained listed building status.
Year 1980: Mr John Parkes bottled water for some time but it proved not to be financially viable.
Year 1999: Mr Mike Humm and his wife Marian took ownership of the site.
Year 2008: The Malvern Heritage Project began works to restore the well and rest rooms and reinstate bottling works.
