In 1749, the City of York Corporation proposed a plan to enclose a natural spring known as Pikeing Well. The spring was located beside the southern section of the 'New Walk' (a popular riverside promenade) and 'taking the waters' had become a fashionable activity for affluent and influential citizens.
In July 1752, the Corporation set aside the sum of £88, 13s to cover the cost of designing and constructing "an hansom fountain at Pikeing Well". Records suggest that the chosen design was submitted by John Carr (a young journeyman mason, who later became one of Yorkshire's best-known architects) and that the building work had been completed by December 1756.
In 1760, the Corporation recorded an agreement to pay William Wood the sum of 2 guineas per annum for opening / closing the well and for keeping it clear.
In 1818, William Hargrove described the well house with the following words:
"On the edge of the further division of the [New] Walk, is an erection, built at the city's expense, by the late alderman Carr, in 1756, in imitation of a ruin. It is called 'The Well House;' there being within it a remarkably fine spring of clear water. The door is frequently opened, by a man appointed to take care of it; the water is drunk by many persons, and is also much used as an eye water. An open receiver, in front of the Well-House, is visited every morning for those purposes, when the well is not open."
Source: Hargrove, William: "History and description of the ancient City of York; comprising all the most interesting information, already published in Drake's Eboracum; enriched with much entirely new matter, from other authentic sources, and illustrated with a neat plan of the City, and many elegant engravings.", published and sold by Wm. Alexander, Castlegate, York, 1818, page 526.
In a later version of this book (published in 1848), Hargrove wrote:
"A short distance beyond the [Blue Bridge] is a fine spring of water, over which an edifice is erected called 'The Well House.' The water is said to possess medicinal properties. It is always accessible to the public, and is drank by many; it is also used as an eye water."
Source: W. & J. Hargrove: "A new guide for strangers and residents in the City of York: being a brief description of its venerable antiquities, splendid cathedral, and other public buildings." (York, 1844)
These bold claims undoubtedly tempted many contemporary visitors to sample the water. However, for reasons that will soon become clear, modern-day visitors should NOT follow their example.
The well house was rebuilt during the summer of 1858, to plans submitted by Thomas Pickersgill (the City Architect and a member of the architectural practice founded by John Carr). The cost of the rebuilding work was estimated at £32 and the resulting structure is broadly what can be seen today (see Images 1 and 2 below).