Still a hospital for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, the Royal Mineral Water Hospital is another product of that bold trio who were responsible for the magnificent flowering of Bath in the 18th century... the architect John Wood, his patron Ralph Allen, and Beau Nash. Nash collected money from visitors to fund the work, Allen supplied the stone and Wood built the hospital. The project also had the support of Dr William Oliver, inventor of the Bath Oliver Biscuit. Originally concocted as an indigestion remedy, the biscuit is still made, and now sold as a delicacy. In its early years, admission to the hospital cost £3, which paid for treatment if successful, or burial if it was not!
