<< Our Photo Pages >> Physic Well (Corstorphine) - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in Scotland in Midlothian
Submitted by feorag on Friday, 26 May 2017 Page Views: 17946
Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: Physic Well (Corstorphine) Alternative Name: Sulphurous SpaCountry: Scotland County: Midlothian Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Edinburgh Nearest Village: Corstorphine
Map Ref: NT19597252
Latitude: 55.938980N Longitude: 3.288838W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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I have visited· I would like to visit
Anne T visited on 18th May 2017 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5 The Physic Well, Corstophine, Edinburgh: Pulling up on the northern section of Dunsmuir Court from Ladywell Road, I thought we’d spotted the well head under the trees between the houses and the main road, but this turned out to be a milestone!
Thankfully having the image of the well from the Portal, we followed the Court round to the garden at the back, and found the well behind a black metal railing which looked as if it had been painted recently.
The area between the houses has been turned into a modern garden, with tall stones looking like standing stones between the plants.
A lovely little spot, a little oasis away from the busy Edinburgh roads not far away. The blocks of flats here are being renovated and the area has a bright, airy feel. Shame there was no water in the well, though, especially as it used to be such a tourist attraction in the past.
meccameron visited on 12th Feb 2017 I was very pleasantly surprised to find it was all tidied up (having only seen the picture for non-members). The whole area has been landscaped next to the well with some modern standing stones made of some beautiful Gneiss. These standing stones and the landscaping look very recent
feorag have visited here
The well lost its popularity in the mid- to late 1700s, and by 1790 it had “been in total disrepute and disuse for a number of years,” and when the Stank Burn (a drainage ditch) was widened and deepened the water lost its medicinal qualities altogether.”
The remains of the well can be seen at the bottom of Dunsmuir Court. The stone edging was restored in 1972-73 when the Stank Burn was enclosed in a pipe. Prior to this, the remains had been buried underground. This is not the original location. A plaque on the remains explains This well was on the southside of the Stank Burn & some 40 yards east of this spot.
References:
Aitchison, Kevin (2001) A Brief History The Village of Corstorphine.
Morris, R. & Morris, F., 1982. Scottish Healing Wells. healing, holy, wishing and fairy wells; Sandy, Alethea Press. (p93)
Selway, G. Upton, 1890. A Mid-Lothian Village - notes on the village and parish of Corstorphine. Edinburgh, George Waterston and Sons.
Note: This whole corner has been nicely landscaped, with flower beds with modern standing stones between the plants. A little oasis not far from the busy main roads.
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