About the author

Spa Parks of Britain has been written and published by Karen Emery, an enthusiast for historic parks and gardens. Growing up in Germany in the 1960s she experienced the culture of 'taking the waters' at first hand and has fond early memories of Kurparks (spa parks) in that country. In 2021 she completed an MA in Garden and Landscape History at the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London which included research  on this topic. Her new book, written for the general reader, expands that research and identifies that Britain also had a tradition of spa parks which contributed to the public parks we so value today.

Further Garden Research by Karen Emery

 Researching an 
Old Abbey Garden

A garden at medieval abbey ruins on the pilgrim's route to Canterbury, Kent. Over 800 years of garden history, including a romantic link to Alfred Lord Tennyson

Pathways to Public Landscapes

Fascinating journeys over time of former private estates, industrial landscapes and even cemeteries that have contributed to  present public park facilities in  Kent.

A long-forgotten Moated Orchard 

On the marshes of Kent, an ancient moat reputed to belong to a castle, but certainly surrounding a plot that was one of the earliest orchards in England's history.

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