Investigate St. Ann's Well, Nottingham before any development starts on the site

St. Ann’s Well is an important historic site in Nottingham which deserves thorough professional archaeological investigation. The need for this has become urgent as the City Council has granted planning permission for houses to be built on the site.

St. Ann’s Well, formerly Robin Hood’s Well, was considered to be the main Nottingham site connected with Robin Hood until the 19th century, and fits the description of the location of his hideout.

The Well was the destination for a procession of most of the citizens of the town, led by the mayor, each Easter Monday throughout the middle ages. Deer were culled for a venison feast for all.

Water from the spring was considered to have healing properties and the Knights Templars built a stone immersion chamber here to treat skin diseases. This chamber was in use through the centuries until 1887 when it was covered over by workmen before a railway bridge was built.

Around 1600 an early brick house was built here for Nottingham’s woodward and this building became a public house, visited by royalty, including James I. The house also displayed “relics” of Robin Hood and hosted a society called the Brotherhood of the Bow. Some interesting artefacts have been found here, including a medieval gold ring and coin. Since it was an important focus for a thousand years it is likely there are more to be discovered.

St. Ann’s Well faded from public memory after the railway bridge was constructed over the site. The bridge was demolished in the 1960s and a pub built on the site. The pub too has now been demolished. As a result, there is currently an opportunity for an archaeological investigation to dig down to the level of the stone chamber and locate building remains and artefacts from the area’s history.

Planning permission requires that the developer funds some archaeological investigation on the site. But this will only be shallow, to the depth that new building may damage. The immersion chamber and medieval relics are likely to be deeper underground, covered by soil from the railway embankment. Once houses are built and the land is split up into separate ownerships it is unlikely it can ever be investigated again.

So far, Nottingham City Council has shown little interest in the site, though they promote the cjty’s connections with Robin Hood. We don’t want the opportunity to be lost to research a place with a strong connection with the outlaw which became an important part of Nottingham’s heritage.

St. Ann's Well-Wishers