Physic Well in High Barnet defies drought as nearby ponds dry up

The Physic Well in High Barnet has remained unaffected by the recent drought, maintaining a constant water level even as ponds across Hadley Green have dried out. The Barnet Society reported that the spring-fed well continues to fill its two tanks, a resilience not shared by surface-water ponds in the area.

Five heatwaves and two consecutive months without rain have left Joslin’s Pond on Hadley Green reduced to mud, with its duck house stranded. Brewery Pond, the only other pond on the green still holding water, is fed by a separate spring. The contrast highlights the vulnerability of surface-water sites compared to the well’s underground source.

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Restoration secures well’s future

The well house, built in 1937 to protect the disused well and its spring, underwent a £150,000 restoration completed in 2018. Barnet Museum, which now manages the site, led the campaign to rescue the building after it was placed on Historic England’s at-risk register. The project ensured the well’s survival as one of the best-preserved medicinal wells in the country.

Mike Jordan, former chairman of Barnet Museum’s trustees and now its president, said the restoration was a long-term effort. "We spent so much time with Barnet Council and Historic England rescuing the wellhouse," he said. "The sense of achievement is really gratifying. If I leave anything to Barnet, it is helping to preserve the Physic Well for the future."

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Public access and local history

The Physic Well, located in Well Approach near Barnet Hospital, is open to the public on Saturday afternoons from February to November. Visitors can descend into the well chamber and view the two tanks filled by the mineral-rich spring. The site has attracted attention since the Tudor period, with Samuel Pepys recording a visit in 1664 where he drank several glasses of the water.

Eamonn Brady, a former resident of Well Road, visited the well for the first time during an open day. "When I was a child in the 1960s, the wellhouse was always padlocked," he said. "We used to play football on the green outside, so what went on inside was always a mystery. I had to put that right."

The well’s historical significance extends beyond its medicinal reputation. Local folklore includes accounts of sightings near Well Road, with Brady recalling a family story about his grandmother and aunt seeing a shadowy figure they speculated might have been Pepys’ ghost.

What happens next

The next open day at the Physic Well is scheduled for 28 September 2024. Barnet Museum has not announced any changes to the monthly visiting schedule. The well remains under the care of the museum, with no further restoration work planned at this time.