John Wall

Wall was born at Powick, Worcestershire, in 1708, was the son of John Wall, a tradesman of Worcester city. He was educated at the King's School, Worcester, matriculated at Worcester College, Oxford on 23 June 1726, graduated B.A. in 1730, and migrated to Merton College, where he was elected fellow in 1735, and whence he took the degrees of M.A. and M.B. in 1736, and of M.D. in 1759.

After taking his M.B. degree he began practice as a physician in Worcester in 1736, marrying Catherine Sandys, the youngest daughter of Martin Sandys, a barrister and uncle of Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys.

He settled in a grand house at 43 Foregate Street, Worcester, and built up a very large private medical practice, becoming both wealthy and well-known.

He was one of the founders of a charitable hospital, the Worcester Infirmary, in Silver street in the town in 1745.

By 1751, the infirmary had become famous, particularly for its treatment of scarlet fever and Diphtheria cases.

In 1771, The institution transferred to Castle Street.

Wall was also active in the development of nearby Malvern as a spa resort. Together with William Davies, a local apothecary, he commissioned analyses of the well water in the area (from St. Ann's Well, the Holy Well and the chalybeate spring there).

The results were eventually published as a 14-page pamphlet in 1756. as "Experiments and observations on the Malvern Water".

This had a second edition a few years later and a third edition of 158 pages in 1763. In fact, the water actually contained very little mineral content, which inspired one local humourist to write:

The Malvern water, says Doctor John Wall,

Is famed for containing just nothing at all.

Subsequently, he became involved in schemes to improve facilities and accommodation in Malvern for visitors to the spa, and also organised the bottling of water from the wells for those too sick to attend in person.

In 1751, Wall founded the Royal Worcester porcelain factory (then the "Worcester Tonquin Manufactory") with William Davies and a group of 13 business men.

Wall, was also a talented artist, producing original paintings as well as designs for bookplates and stained glass windows. It was said that "an unremitting attachment to the art of painting engaged almost every moment of his leisure hours from his infancy to his death".

He died at Bath on 27 June 1776.