Robin Hood's Well

The ballad "Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar" gives the figure of Robin Hood a connection to fountains, which may account for the original naming of the spring where the well was established. The well itself was given the name "Robin Hood's Well" by Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, who had the well named after the figure in an attempt to solidify the area's identity as the home of the legends. When in its original location, according to letters by Roger Gale in John Nichols topographical book of Britain, recorded that there was an epigram in Latin that read: and translates as: The site next to the Great North Road was shown on the maps for the journey from London to in tourist guide,…

Robin Hood's Well is an ornamental well cover that was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1710 for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle. The stone that makes up the well cover is finely cut, ashlar Magnesian Limestone. Three of its sides are made up of arched entrances with pendant keystones. After its relocation the structure was rehabilitated in 1993 with a stainless-steel frame to ensure its prolonged survival.