Just back from a great week in Edinburgh, and thanks to members of this
list have seen a number of rewarding wells. Special thanks to Feorag
who nobly gave up an afternoon to show me wells in Davidsons Mains and
Lauriston Castle. The Well of Spa in Davidsons Mains is supposedly
'lost', but she has rediscovered it and, after much searching around in
nettles (we wellies know how to enjoy ourselves) we found a pool, much
silted up but definitely rectangular, which looks a good candidate for
the spa bathing pool.
Other wells included the Well of Healing and the chalybeate well in the
grounds of Lauriston Castle, St Margaret's well in Holyrood Park
(lovely) and the little spa at St Ronan's well, Innerliethen, where I
took the waters (much more palatable than Leamington Spa).
The most magic well of the whole trip was back in England, however, in
the Forest of Bowland near Chipping, Lancashire. Here at a farm called
Windy Hill my friend Alison and I found a clear flowing spring rising
among the roots of a hazel tree. True, it was flowing into a gummy old
bath, but the spring itself was superb.
I'm not totally hung up on wells, by the way - I did check out some
Green Men too... and Gothic Voices sang music by Hildegarde of Bingen
in St Mary's Cathedral. Glorious.
Katy
--
Katy Jordan
Faculty Librarian, Engineering & Design
Library & Learning Centre
University of Bath
BATH BA2 7AY
Tel: 01225-826826 X5612
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The Holy Wells Web: Gateway to Waterlore
http://www.bath.ac.uk/~liskmj/holywell.htm
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