St. Bernard’s Well

Named after the estate on which it was found, St. Bernard’s Well is one of Edinburgh’s most charming historical landmarks. The mineral spring stands on the Water of Leith and was discovered around 1760. According to the traditional story three schoolboys from Heriot’s came across the water on a fishing trip. The spring was soon being touted as holding healing powers, and visitors to the countryside took in the water for every ailment from bruises to blindness. Whether or not the water actually worked is a matter of debate, as every tourist told a different story, but St. Bernard’s Well remained an attraction.

A romatic spot in Edinburgh: St. Bernard's Well at the Water of Leith

[image credit: StartAgain]

St. Bernard’s changed hands several times over the years. In the late 1780s the well was purchased by Lord Gardenstone, a Court of Sessions judge who felt the waters had aided him. Gardenstone commissioned Alexander Naismyth to construct a pump house and Grecian folly to illuminate the well.

A Greek Goddess In Edinburgh: The Statue Of Hygeia, St. Bernard’s Well

A statue of Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health, became a centerpiece for the well-house in 1791.

The beautiful statue of Hygeia over St. Bernard's Well, Edinburgh

[image credit: Nestor M]

In the 1790s Sir Henry Raeburn purchased the bulk of the St. Bernard estate, only to gradually resell it in portions. In 1812 George Lauder, an ancestor of entertainer Sir Harry Lauder, purchased the well itself, along with a good-sized portion of the land surrounding it. Publisher William Nelson was the last private owner, buying the well in 1884. Upon his death his trustees presented St. Bernard’s Well to the city of Edinburgh. Thomas Bonnar restored the well house and D.W. Stevenson carved a new statue of Hygeia.

Today St. Bernard’s Well is maintained by volunteers from the City Council. It is open to the public on Sundays throughout the year.