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Tewit Well, also known in its early days as "Tuit" or "Tuewhit", is a spa water well, the first
Tewit Well, also known in its early days as "Tuit" or "Tuewhit", is a spa water well, the first chalybeate
Chalybeate () waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.
Name
The word ''chalybeate'' is derived from the Latin word for steel, , which follows from the Greek word . is the singular form of ...
source discovered in Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England.
After marrying Elizabeth Broad, William Slingsby (uncle of Sir William Slingsby
Sir William Slingsby (29 January 1563 – 1634), was an English soldier, who is often erroneously noted as the discoverer of the first spa water well in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
He was the seventh, but third surviving son of Sir Francis ...
) took his new wife on a Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
of Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. In 1571, Slingsby discovered that water from a well in Knaresborough Forest, now called The Stray, public parkland in Harrogate, possessed similar properties to that at Spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
in Belgium. He named the well "Tewit", after a local word for peewit or lapwing, a bird which still frequently flocks on the Stray.
Tewit Well had fewer visitors than the wells in Low Harrogate, or even St John's Well in High Harrogate, because of its distance from Victorian hotels and lodging houses. In 1842, the structure designed by Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale (1718–1779) was a cabinet-maker in London, designing furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs in a trade catalogue titled ''The Gentleman and Ca ...
in 1807Historic England entry 1293847 enclosing the Royal Pump Room, which sits over the Old Sulphur Well, was replaced by a new structure designed by Isaac Shutt for the Improvement Commissioners. The old structure was then moved to Tewit Well.
The structure still stands on the edge of the Stray, known as Cherry Tree Walk as all the paths are lined on both sides with cherry tree
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...
s. It is a Grade II* listed building. It carries Harrogate's first Brown Plaque, which was designed in part by Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam
Malcolm George Neesam (28 June 1946 – 28 June 2022) was an English historian and writer specialising in the history of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. He was also a librarian and archivist. His major works were the first two parts of a projected ...
in 1971.
A local youth brass band, The Tewit Youth Band, is named after this landmark.
References
{{coord, 53.98535, -1.53457, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures in Harrogate Tourist attractions in Harrogate Springs of England Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire Water wells in England