The Hydropathic Establishment and its Baths III
by R Owen Allsop, Architect
(Author of "The Turkish Bath: Its Design and Construction")
The commercial success that attends the
hydropathic establishment, when promoted
in all earnestness, and carried on
under firm and resolute management, is
demonstrated by the growth and prosperity
of "Smedley's". The present flourishing
condition of the establishment belonging to
the Smedley Hydropathic Company, Limited,
so pleasantly situated, overlooking a grand
expanse of Derbyshire hill and dale, is an
example of what steady perserverance and
firm adherence to principle can accomplish.
Originally owing its existence to the enthusiasm
of the late John Smedley, the first
"establishment" on the site of the present
extensive building was a mere cottage.
Herein a few sufferers placed themselves
under Mr Smedley for treatment on that
system of water-cure in whose cause he had
become enthusiastic by reason of the great
benefits he himself had received at the
establishment at Ben Rhydding in Yorkshire.
From that time to the present
day the management of Smedley's has
been carried on with strict reference to
the purpose for which it was established,
and in accordance with the principles upon
which the system of hygienic medicine
called "hydropathy" is based - a system,
however, modified in a measure at Matlock,
as it is more or less at other hydropathics.
The result of this persistant endeavour in one
direction has been unwavering success. In
the course of a comparatively small number
of years, by gradual means, the institution
has developed till at the present time it is of
sufficient size to accommodate little short of
300 patients or visitors. Since it was transferred
from Mr Smedley's hands to those of
a limited liability company, it has been the
subject of more extensive and elaborate
alterations than any hitherto effected - alterations
which include the addition of a sumptuous
dining-hall, and a drawing-room
second to none in score of completeness and
beauty. When Mr Smedley's connection
with the institution ceased, the medical
supervision devolved upon Dr B.W.Hunter M.D.,
formerly of the Bridge of Allan
Hydropathic Establishment in Scotland.
Dr Hunter has ever since held the position
of consulting physician at Smedley's, his
name as a hydropathic practioner having
become of world-wide renown. To his long
experience and unremitting adherence to
hydropathic principles the continued success
of Smedley's is due.
The extent of the present building is
shown by the plans of ground-floor, which,
owing to the kindness of Mr A H Douglas,
the energetic manager, I am enabled to
publish, together with plans of baths and
basement. The building consists of ground
floor, with sitting and dining-rooms, &c., a
basement for stores, &c., and three bedroom
floors. The baths are not, properly speaking,
in a basement, as the ground rapidly slopes
towards the Derwent river, and the bath-houses
are thus above ground.
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A bridge from a landing in the old wing crosses the
street, and communicates with a building
over the way, where is sleeping accommadation
for female servants, having underneath
a steam laundry, and near by a room for
engine and dynamo for electric lighting. The
plans do not show the secondary building.
The polygonal portion, at the top of the plan, is
the "old wing"; the rectangular portion, at
the bottom of the plan, is the "new wing", both
being built in Mr Smedley's time. The new
block between the two, including the
beautiful drawing-room and dining hall, and
kitchen, &c., has been erected by the present
company from the designs of Mr Statham,
architect, of Nottingham and Matlock.
Entering by a handsome vestibule into a
spacious hall, we find in convenient positions
an office and a reception-room for serving
meals to newly-arrived visitors. Close by is
the passenger lift to upper floors, and on the
other side of the hall the handsome main
staircase, behind which is a gentlemen's
lavatory. The sale-room, entered from hall,
is for the sale of hydropathic appliances,
baths, &c. The main corridor abuts on a
corner of the hall. Past a secondary corridor
at right angles that admits to the grounds
and terrace walks, are rooms for manager
and matron. On the north of main corridor
is the spacious dining-room, with coved
ceiling and top-lighted. Doors on the other
side of corridor admit to a private dining-room
- useful for nervous invalids unfit to
take meals in the public dining-room -
and to ladies' and gentlemen's cloak-room,
through which may be gained the
drawing-room, provided with an excellent
stage for amateur theatricals, recitations,
&c., arranged by the visitors. The dining-hall
communicates, by means of a servery,
with the kitchens, which are provided with
ranges, roasting-fire, and steaming oven.
The still-room adjoins kitchen and servery.
Adjoining the scullery is the bakery. In the
range of small buildings adjoining are meat
and fish larders, and storerooms for provisions,
and clerk of works' room. Off the
kitchen is the dish-room, and above ervery
is a plate cleaning room.
Off the corridor of the west wing is the
gentlemen's reading-room, to which is
attached the billiard-room. Adjoining the
latter apartment is the physician's room,
connected with a waiting-room and ladies'
room. This portion of the plan may be
noticed as particulary suitable and convenient.
Gentlemen, if they have long to
wait for their interview with the doctor,
may find interest in the billiard and reading-room,
and ladies indisposed to remain in the
public waiting-room, may retire to their own
room adjoining. The remainder of this portion
of the plan is taken up with a ladies' lavatory,
a gentlemen's lavatory, and bedroom.
The fine general reading and writing-room
close to the hall, and near the stairs to the
baths, was formerly the drawing-room.
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The first floor is devoted to bedrooms with
necessary conveniences and housemaids'
closets; and the same may be said of the
second and third floors. Off the corridor on
first floor will be noticed a lobby, allowing
of access to a spacious balcony. Several
verendahs and covered balconies are arranged
on the garden side of the building, and these
admit of a certain amount of exercise in bad
weather. This, it is to be observed, is a
most important point. Hydropathy, it
should be remembered, is not merely the
"water cure". This is a popular delusion,
and very harmful to the cause, Hydropathy
is a system of hygienic medicine, calling to
its aid every auxilliary calculated to promote
health. Without regimen the "treatment"
is vain. Exercise, diet, early hours, and
regulated living must be studied, together
with the bath and bathing. Taking the first
of these, exercise, we find that it must be
persisted in regularly, and in all weathers.
Moreover, a certain amount of exercise is
often prescribed by the hydropathic practioner
after bathing and treatment. It therefore
becomes of the highest importance that
some provision be made at hydropathics for
invalids to exercise in places protected from
the inclemencies of the weather. In a model
institution this object would be best effected
by appending to the main building an
elongated glass structure of the "Winter-gardens"
type.
Referring again to the ground-plan of
Smedleys, adjoining the reading-room are
the stairs leading to the bath-houses. Passing
under the reading-room, a corridor is
reached, which, besides leading to a smoking-room,
allows access to the ladies' baths, to the
gentlemen's baths, and to the Turkish bath.
The suite of ladies' and gentlemen's baths
are practically identical in arrangement.
Each consists of a corridor, with bath-rooms
and dressing-rooms on either side. In the
dressing-rooms are couches, where the
patient may be given the various packs,
bandages, and compresses. Off the centre of
the length of each corridor are two douche
rooms, containing douche and needle baths
sitz baths, and ascending douches. There is
nothing complicated about these baths, simplicity
and effectiveness being the order of
the day in arrangements under the control
of Mr Wilson, the head bathman.
Nevertheless, the Company propose to alter and
enlarge the bath-houses at an early date,
preserving, however, their present character.
The Turkish bath is arranged by the side of
the other two bath-houses. It has a cooling-room
with plunge adjoining, shampooing-room,
tepidarium, calidarium, and laconicum,
or "flue room", as it is here called. In
one of the shampooing-rooms is erected a
Russian bath, and steam fittings. Adjoining
the furnace-chamber are drying-rooms and
boilers for hot-water coils, and for supplying
steam. The Turkish bath was arranged
under the direction of Dr Hunter, the very
effective method of heating - plans and
explanations of which it may be useful to
give when speaking of baths in detail - being
his own design.
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