White Wells

Yorkshire is well known for its Spa towns such as Harrogate and Knaresborough, but did you know that Ilkley Moor has its very own Spa? Situated out on the Moor itself, the White Wells date back to the 1700s and are still invigorating brave souls with their chilly waters today.

While the Romans may have been present in the area it is not thought that the White Wells were used by them. Indeed, the first printed mention of them dates to 1710 where it was noted that drinking or bathing in the waters was a good cure for scrofula (a form of Tuberculosis). There is also an early 18th century tale that suggests they were discovered by a shepherd with an injured leg. His leg only began to heal when he bathed it in the waters daily.

Throughout the years the Wells were visited by many famous people, who were keen to take advantage of their magical healing powers, such as Charles Darwin who visited in 1859, the same year he published “On the Origin of Species”. Any suggestion that the waters inspired his writing is purely speculatory on my part!

Some less famous, though far more surprising visitors to the White Wells were the Fairies! On the morning of June 24th, around 1820, William Butterworth the owner of the White Wells walked up the valley onto the Moor just before dawn. On arrival at the Wells, he put his key in the door to open it but was unable to do so due to someone or something holding it shut. With some effort he managed to open the door and was greeted with the sight of Fairies.

“All over the well, skimming on its surface like water-spiders, or dipping into it as if they were taking a bath, was a swarm of little people, the biggest of them not above eighteen inches high; yet they seemed perfect human beings. They bathed with all their clothes on; they were dressed from head to foot in green.”

The White Wells were originally an open-air structure, built by the landowner Peter Middleton, with the white building we see today only being constructed in 1760 by Squire Middleton. The building housed three plunge baths for “the cold-water cure”. In 1791 Robert Dale expanded the building and built two enclosed baths. The Wells, while small, became a catalyst for the Victorian Hydropathy movement which saw Ilkley grow into a prosperous spa town.

The water source is a spring that issues from the surrounding Millstone Grit and is piped into the remaining plunge pool, which dates from the Georgian / Victorian period. It remains at around 10 degrees and sometimes drops to below 7 degrees so it can legitimately be described as “refreshing”!

People apparently still take part in a plunge on New Years Day, but we were not brave enough to “take the waters” during our visit, the most I dipped in was a hand and that was enough... That hand does now look about ten years younger than the other though!