Edinburgh Castle, St Margaret's Well
Well (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Edinburgh Castle, St Margaret's Well
Classification Well (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Well Of The Well-house Tower; Wellhouse Tower
Canmore ID 52080
Site Number NT27SE 1.02
NGR NT 25082 73613
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/52080
- Council Edinburgh, City Of
- Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District City Of Edinburgh
- Former County Midlothian
NT27SE 1.02 25082 73613
Well of the Well-house Tower (NR).
OS 1:1250 plan, (1950).
One of the two wells used by the Garrison of Kirkcaldy of Grange during the siege of 1573. Position of site is commemorated by drinking fountain.
Formerly shown on 1/2500 scale as St Margaret's Well.
J Skene 1822.
A spring known as St Margaret's Well supplied the Tower (Midlothian 3 NE 1.12).
This spring, in 1867, was led to a fountain at the junction of the
tower and the end of a wall which runs NE. from it.
RCAHMS 1951.
(NT 2509 7361) No trace of this well exists today.
Visited by OS(JLD) 29 December 1953.
A plaque on the drinking fountain states: 'The fountain of the ancient well-house tower ... (of)... the 11th cent.
Visited by OS, 2 February 1954.
The site is as described by previous field report.
Visited by OS (SFS), 2 December 1975.
Wellhouse Tower
(remains of) [NAT]
OS (GIS) MasterMap, November 2009.
Project (1997)
The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (http://www.pmsa.org.uk/) set up a National Recording Project in 1997 with the aim of making a survey of public monuments and sculpture in Britain ranging from medieval monuments to the most contemporary works. Information from the Edinburgh project was added to the RCAHMS database in October 2010 and again in 2012.
The PMSA (Public Monuments and Sculpture Association) Edinburgh Sculpture Project has been supported by Eastern Photocolour, Edinburgh College of Art, the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, Historic Scotland, the Hope Scott Trust, The Old Edinburgh Club, the Pilgrim Trust, the RCAHMS, and the Scottish Archive Network.
Field Visit (21 August 2001)
Square panel with high relief carving of a crown above a diamond carved with a lion rampant (left) and a cross and four birds (right). Below this is the banner and inscription panel.
The panel is all that remains of a fountain erected by the officers of the 93rd Highlanders in 1873. Immediately in front of the sandstone panel a fountain was built, communicating with the ancient well in the interior of the Wellhouse Tower. The fountain was designed by James Drummond, and was of polished grey granite, with a sandstone pedestal and a small ornamental jet. It was about 5 feet high. 'The design [was] somewhat in the form of an urn, surmounted by a Scotch thistle in cast metal, with nozzles for two jets of water, which [was] supplied by a pump-handle.' (1)
Inspected By : T. S.
Inscriptions : On carved banner below heraldic device:
SAINT MARGARET'S WELL
Below banner, in rectangular panel:
THE FOUNTAIN OF THE ANCIENT WELLHOUSE TOWER / CELEBRATED IN THE HISTORY OF THE CASTLE / SINCE THE TIME / OF SAINT MARGARET QUEEN OF SCOTLAND / IN THE ELEVENTH CENTURY
RESTORED BY THE OFFICERS OF THE 93RD SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS A.D.1873
Signatures : None
Design period : Originally 11th century; restored 1873
Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0965)
