This is the ancient Roman Well: it was discovered
500 years ago. It was roofed in over 100 years ago. It is the
honourable work of those noble Romans to whom we owe so much.
They constructed it with a sense of integrity. The stone is in a
wonderful state of preservation, the very cement seems older than
the stone. They boiled it and got it to a particular consistency,
and then after putting it in the stone, it became harder than the
stone itself.
You see the form of the bath is elliptical - spoon-shaped. All is
harmonious, symmetrical. It is a beautiful thought in stone -
frozen music. There is, some nine inches below the floor, the
stone which the Romans built: it was discovered by Sir Adam de
Middleton, of Middleton Lodge, whose figure is in the Parish
Church. Before it was covered in it was open to the cloud-flecked
dome of the sky, the glorious turquoise heavens.
We have both ladies and gentlemen taking baths. This is the very
place where the secret of Lady Hygeia is revealed, whose very
breath is incense, and her cheeks all bloom. There is a
life-giving energy in these waters, so these baths are best taken
in the morning. They are used every day. We have had the Ven
Archdeacon Williams, a gentlemen over 70 years of age. It is the
inherent, essential intrinsic quality of this earth-laden gift of
God that gives this water its importance and potency. It is
vitalising, animating, exhilarating, resuscitating, enthusing,
sustaining, delightful, and delicious as a bath. As a douche bath
it is invaluable for spinal complaints, and makes a pleasant and
delightful surprise.
The Venerable Archdeacon, during the very last bath he had, told
William Butterfield to put it on more powerfully. We can modify
it so temper the wind to the shorn lamb. This is the bath for
rheumatism, gout, nervous debility. You can drink it with
impunity. It is an aid to digestions, good for dyspepsia. It is
the aqua vitae, the elixir of life. It has been the great problem
of the antiquarian what was the nectar of the gods and goddesses,
but we have found it here in this water; all the essence of
health and life. It contains a large quantity of latent heat and
natural electricity. It will strengthen your digestive functions.
There is a sense of satisfaction and pleasure in drinking this
water. It is not ordinary water, it is extraordinary water.
The above can at best be descibed as a cocktail of Victorian
romanticism mixed with historical fact! There is no evidence the
Romans ever built a bath on Ilkley Moor.
Well house fairies!
To him that all nature must have been a-revelling with the sports
of the small people, and that the sweet gaiety of the linnets and
the thrushes had in it a note of joyousness which he never heard
again. As he drew near the wells he took out of his pocket the
great iron key, and placed it in the lock; but there was
something " canny " about it, and instead of the key
lifting the lever it only turned round and round. Then he tried
to push the door open, but he had no sooner made it give a little
than it was pushed to again from within. At last he set his
shoulder to it, and forced it open with a bang.
Then, whirr! whirr!! Such a noise and sight ! All over the water,
and dipping into it were a lot of creatures dressed in green from
head to foot, none of them more than eighteen inches high, and
making a chatter and a jabber thoroughly unintelligible. They
seemed to be taking a bath, only they bathed with all their
clothes on. Soon, however, one or two of them began to make off,
bounding over the wall like squirrels. Finding they were all
ready for decamping, and wanting to have a word with them, he
shouted at the top of his voice, but could find nothing else to
say than "Hallo, there!" Then away the whole tribe
went, helter skelter, toppling and tumbling head over heels, and
all the while making a noise not unlike a disturbed nest of young
partridges.
The sight was so unusual that he declared he either couldn't or
daren't attempt to rush after them. When the well had got quite
clear of these strange beings, he ran too........!
Part of Butterfild's account on finding 'fairies' atop his baths.