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Dr Lori Bystrom reflects on creating an event with Bath Medical Museum.

Despite the popularity of the , and the fact that they inspired the names of the city of Bath and its universities, many residents in the area don’t fully understand, or appreciate, the unique geothermal phenomena occurring right beneath their feet in the city centre.

To acknowledge and celebrate the thermal waters of Bath and water in general, I partnered with Bath Medical Museum (BMM) to host a SparkFest event on 20 May, ‘’, at the .  

This event, co-developed with Irene Prentice, a trustee from BMM, featured a series of short talks exploring the many ways we sense and experience water. Through these talks, together with soundscapes, scents, and tastings, the audience discovered how geography and environmental conditions shape water’s sensory qualities. Several talks also explored the health benefits of water and geothermal spas. 

Engaging all senses

The event took place in the Gainsborough Hotel’s , which overlooks their thermal pool fed by the . As people entered the event, a still video of the lake at the BSU Newton Park Campus played in the background. Gentle ripples formed across the lake while insects buzzed around the water and its lush green surroundings; a castle stood on a hill in the distance.

This imagery was accompanied by the ambient sounds of water, harp, piano and mixed percussion. This whole experience, created by BSU Creative Music Technology alumni, , set the scene for the event and brought a piece of the beautiful Newton Park Campus to the city centre of Bath.   

Once everyone was seated, I introduced the event by discussing the precious nature of water, the problem of water inequality, and how the chemistry of water in our teacup can impact taste and smell, as well as our health and wellbeing. I also explained the location of the three thermal springs in Bath and clarified the mineral content of each spring.

I ended by highlighting an environmental science dissertation project (by undergraduate Anna Marden and mentored by Dr Adam George) that examined the health of the BSU lake based on water quality and biodiversity index assessments.   

Feel and heal

, the chair trustee from The Bath Medical Museum, then talked about the history of the thermal spas, including some work featured in his book .  This was followed by a presentation from Tracey Lewarne, course leader for the BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition programme at BSU, which focused on the health benefits of hydration.  

Hear and see

The significance of various water sources was then discussed by Natasha Child, a recent MSc Environmental Humanities graduate from BSU. Her presentation included images and sounds of water from a brook on the Newton Park campus, the thermal pool at the Gainsborough Hotel and the drinking water fountain at the Roman Baths. She also touched on the therapeutic benefits of wild swimming and a water temple in Bali. 

Taste and smell

The talks ended with Matthew Jones, from Wessex Water, explaining where local tap and in Bath originate, and how different geographies can impact the hardness of UK water. His talk finished off with an explanation about how different smells and tastes of water can help determine household or environmental water issues.

Matthew then encouraged people to join him at the back of the room, where the refreshments were located, to taste or smell various samples of water to determine hardness or water issues, respectively.   

The refreshments area provided a range of thematic beverage options, including a local brand of water sourced from the Mendip Hills; black tea blends created for hard or soft water; and an array of herbal tea blends and sparkling beverages – some with elderflowers picked from the BSU Newton Park campus – for all to enjoy, as we pondered the role of water in our health and wellbeing.

Dr Lori Bystrom is recruiting participants aged 18 to 40 this summer for a study evaluating the health impacts of beverage aromas. Please email l.bystrom@bathspa.ac.uk if interested. 

Special thanks to the Gainsborough Hotel and YTL group/Thermae Spa members (Theresa Mc Dermott, Linda Watts, Mathew Amos, Theodora Brizoli) for their support for the event. I also want to thank Amanda Bayley for speaker suggestions and SparkFest for all their amazing support in advertising.

Funding for this event made possible through the BSU School of Sciences and CCCI Affiliate Seed Funding. For more information about CCCI, please email CCCI@bathspa.ac.uk and we will sign you up to our mailing list.