Lady Well facts for kids
The Lady Well is a special water source in Glasgow, Scotland. It's called a holy well because, in the past, people believed its water had healing powers or was connected to religious stories.
What is the Lady Well?
The Lady Well is also known as 'Our Lady's Well'. It's a natural spring, which means water flows up from underground all by itself. This well is very old – it was even shown on early maps of Glasgow, so it's probably older than the city itself!
A Look Back in Time
Hundreds of years ago, during the medieval period, the Lady Well was located just outside Glasgow's city walls. It was a handy stop for people, and even Roman travelers might have used it to get fresh water when they were journeying between their forts.
Changes Over the Years
In 1835 and 1836, the well's top part was rebuilt by two important groups in Glasgow: the Merchants House and the City Council. This happened when the area behind the well was turned into a garden and burial ground.
Most wells in Glasgow were closed in the 1860s. This was because fresh water started being piped into the city from Loch Katrine, which made the city much cleaner and healthier. But the Lady Well was special and stayed open for the public. An old article says it was the very last public well to be closed, though it doesn't say exactly when.
The wellhead you see today was put in during the 1836 rebuild. It looks like a classical building, which is very different from how the original well looked, which was just an open, round shape. The stone above the well's opening tells us about the 1836 rebuild and another repair by the Merchant's House in 1874. There's also a plaque that remembers its most recent update in 1983, done by Tennent Caledonian Breweries. Today, the Lady Well is still there, but it is capped, meaning you can't get water from it anymore.
