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Egyptian Well

  1. Aylesbury
  2. Aylesbury Hi̇stori̇cal Landmark

Reviews, get directions and contact details for Egyptian Well

Egyptian Well
Address: Aylesbury HP17 8NR, UK
State: Buckinghamshire
City: Aylesbury
Zip Code: HP17 8NR

opening times

Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours

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Reviews
The area is lovely, the walk is nice and there’s a graveyard nearby that’s worth looking at. There’s also a cool old decommissioned boarded up 1700s church near that’s totally inaccessible but we enjoyed looking over the wall at it, maybe you can access it if staying at the Hartwell House. The gothic tower listed on google maps is also not accessible except to look at over a wall. The Egyptian well itself looks a bit gross. Some other reviewers drank from it but now having seen it I’m not sure why anyone would do that.
The Egyptian Well is a striking spring shelter designed in the style of an Egyptian temple. This structure, sometimes referred to as the “Egyptian Springs” or “Hartwell Egyptian Well,” was constructed in 1840 by Joseph Bonomi the Younger, a noted English sculptor and Egyptologist. The well was commissioned by Dr. John Lee, owner of nearby Hartwell House, who was an advocate of temperance and a collector of Egyptian antiquities.nnThe well’s shelter features an alcove seat reminiscent of a small Egyptian temple and is adorned with both Greek inscriptions and Egyptian-style hieroglyphics. The Greek phrase, taken from Pindar’s First Pythian Ode, translates to “Water is Best,” emphasizing Dr. Lee’s temperance beliefs. Cartouches with hieroglyphic characters—apparently spelling out Lee’s name—added further Egyptian touches to the design.nnLocal legends once claimed the spring was named when Julius Caesar saw a hart drinking there, but the name actually derives from Old English, meaning “spring frequented by harts or stags.” The water was historically believed to have curative powers, especially for weak eyes and other ailments.nBy the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the building fell into neglect, partly due to the unpopularity of temperance principles. It was restored in the 1980s after Hartwell House became a hotel. While sometimes considered a mere “trifling curiosity” in architectural terms, the Egyptian well remains a unique and locally cherished combination of folklore, folly, and symbolismnnIt’s a popular spot for local teens to smoke weed
NOTICE - The Egyptian Well is an elaborate structure in front of which is a small recess containing water - do not drink from this stagnant puddle.nnThe Hartwell flows opposite and this is what those that thirst for knowledge seek.
Nice little detour if your in the area.
There is no truth in the water being healing!!!nnLovey sot thought
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Egyptian Well map

Directions to Egyptian Well with public transportation

The Rose & Crown PH 390 meters
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The Bugle Horn PH 430 meters
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The Rose & Crown PH 460 meters
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The Bugle Horn PH 500 meters
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