Go to the Main Mendip Cave Registry Search Page

The Hotwell

Hotwells, Avon Gorge.

One of only five hot springs in Britain, the famous Hotwell once made Bristol a spa of some renown. Situated 9m below the high-water mark, at low tide the spring can still be seen gurgling out of the river's muddy banks, a short distance north of the crumbling remains of three wooden wharves. It was first recorded in 1480, when it was known as St Vincent's Well (also St Mary's Well), and it was later frequented by sailors who used it to cure scurvy. Its first commercial use began c.1630 and in 1695 a spa was constructed (Hotwell House) 10m above the holy well, into which the spring water was pumped. Tidal contamination and doubts as to the veracity of the waters medicinal properties caused a gradual decline in The Hotwell's fortunes, a situation further exacerbated in 1867 when Hotwell Point and the original holy well were dynamited to make the river more navigable. When the spring remerged lower down a new pump was erected in the cliff above, which continued to provide drinking water until it was declared unfit for public consumption in 1913. In the 1890s, the owners revived the site by pumping the water all the way up to fashionable Clifton.

Alternative Names: The Hot Well, St Vincent's Well

Notes: SU1 p.57