Hampstead’s healing water
The fountain in Well Walk that a charitable lady named Susanna Knowle donated to the poor of Hampstead in December 1698 is dry and neglected. Below her coat of arms, an inscription declares that this is the »Chalybeate Well«, a name that refers to the iron content of its water. In Greek mythology, the first use of iron tools was ascribed to a people called the Chalybes.
Poor people are not much in evidence today in this leafy suburb, which offers respite from central London for the wealthy. Hampstead’s prosperity began in the same way 350 years ago, when it was a village of 600 residents. During the plague year of 1665, many Londoners sought refuge here, as the air and water were good. They escaped to higher ground from the stink and filth of narrow streets, preferring the vistas and the fresh breezes up on Hampstead Heath. At about the same time, the supposedly healing properties of the local springs were discovered. A local physician, Doctor Gibbon, praised the efficacy of the water against intestinal worms, hysteria and excessive moisture in the brain. In the 18th century, Hampstead was a flourishing spa, where polite society took the waters in the Pump Room and danced in the Long Room. Water was taken from a spring in Well Road (parallel to Well Walk) and bottled on the site where The Flask tavern now stands.
Info
Address Well Walk, NW3 1BX | Public Transport Hampstead (Northern Line) | Tip Burgh House, once the residence of Dr Gibbon, houses an exhibition on the history of Hampstead and the charming Buttery Café with tables in the garden (New End Square, turn right at the lower end of Well Walk; Wed–Fri 11am–5pm, Sat and Sun 9.30am–5pm
As the spa was no longer fashionable in the 19th century, its buildings opposite the Chalybeate Well were demolished in 1882. Although the waters no longer flowed, the climate was still healthy. Mount Vernon Hospital was built on an elevation further north to heal diseases of the lungs. Its imposing Victorian edifice was converted to apartments for celebrities, as singers and actors appreciate good air. Down the hill in Hampstead village, only an unused fountain and street names like Well Walk preserve the memory of Hampstead’s days as a spa.
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