2-332-449 - Peter Thompson/Heritage Images

Royal Pump Room and Baths from Jephson Gardens, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Formerly a small village, the town of Leamington Spa developed rapidly after the discovery in 1784 of spring water thought to have healing properties. The Pump Rooms, which opened in 1814, enabled visitors to bathe in the spa water. The building featured a gravity fed piped hot water system designed by the Scottish engineer William Murdoch, the first of its type since Roman times. Jephson Gardens is the finest of the towns numerous parks and gardens.