Underground London - Barnet Physic Well

Barnet’s Physic Well is a mineral water spring which was thought to have therapeutic qualities. The well was found in the 17th century and in 1656 the parish had a well house built. It was popular through to the 1820s, and its visitors included Samuel Pepys, who wrote about the visit in his diary. And nowadays they have open days, so I went for a look.

Barnet is in northwest London and the well is in what was Barnet Common, which is close to the hospital

In 1808 the well was rebuilt with a subterranean arched chamber. However it soon lost popularity and the building removed in 1840. The well was rediscovered in 1920 and in 1937 a Tudor-style building was erected by the Council. That fell into disrepair but was restored in 2018.  

Although the building has been restored, the steps and well room are original, now Grade I listed.

The well is just a small open tank. We were told the water level is always constant and the same temperature.

It was fashionable to drink the water at the time of Pepys. It acts as a diuretic, which makes the drinker urinate, and this was supposed to restore the body's balance. Pepys apparently drank several glasses on his first visit and had to stop several times on the way home! On another visit, he drank less of the water.

The water was so popular it was bottled and sold in London and Barnet was almost a spa town.  

A postcard with info on the well -

There is a display of clay pipes and horseshoes -

See more about the well on Barnet Common and Physic Well and also on the Barnet Museum page, which includes a 1976 bulletin on the well.