Description

Dated 1790. Freshwater well in grotto-like setting on ground sloping to N. Ashlar obelisk, swept at base, inscribed "Princes Well 1790" with cross finial on square-plan ashlar plinth. Wrought iron gate to rear fronting barrel-vaulted brick reservoir chamber set in hillside. Steps running up behind chamber. Series of cascading pools stepping down from obelisk.

Statement of Interest

An interesting example of an 18th century garden well and a picturesque remnant of the earlier designed landscape. The well is carefully sited within the landscape and designed to draw attention as a landscape feature and to reflect the value placed on having a self-sufficient water supply in the 18th century. The obelisk appears to have been reset on a later square-cut plinth and the inscription may have been added at the same time. The earlier Boquhan House (now demolished) was built in 1784, with the garden grounds laid out over the following decade for General John Fletcher-Campbell who did much to turn around the fortunes of the estate with successful animal husbandry, breeding and farm improvement. The octagonal tower (see separate listing) on the estate was probably constructed around the same time as the well as part of the formal landscaping of the estate.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77782187

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  For the Record