St John's Well - Harpham
(TA 0953 6176)

This well is located by the road side to the east of Harpham village. The well is dedicated to St John of Beverley (the minster town 10 miles to the south) and tradition has it that the saint was born in the village and this well miraculously sprung up when he struck the earth with his staff.
The small stone built well house (apparently a grade 2 listed building) has the words "St John's Well" carved in the stonework above the door and on the domed top are the words "Rebuilt 1856".

Local tradition records that the well water had fertility benefits and was a useful cure for headaches or eye ailments, plus it also had a calming affect on wild animals !
In mid 1998 a local churchwarden arranged (and paid) for extensive work to be carried out on the well, which involved lifting the whole structure and resetting it on a concrete plinth. During this operation the well door was turned so as to face the road (north), which effectively ended the local belief that the well benefited from the morning sun shining into the well. This 'renovation' work was apparently carried out without consultation or planning permission and caused great controversy in the area.
After learning of this disturbance to the well, a visit was made in Sept 99, not quite knowing what to expect. The photograph's show the well looks much as it did in the late 1980's, the main difference being the circular paving around the well house. However it was observed that because the well house has been raised (25cm?) the water level inside the well is correspondingly lower and was hardly visible on our visit.