Mosaic to commemorate the St.Ann's Well
The City Council erected a mosaic to celebrate the St.Ann's Well on 24th August, 2007.
A draft of my speech for opening the new Wells commemoration follows -
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today as we celebrate the creation of this new piece of public art.
I run a web-site about politics in Mapperley ward & in Nottingham. It has over 250 pages and perhaps 50 to a 100 people visit some part of the site each day.
And yet for all the emphasis on politics on the site - one of the most popular pages on the site, is an ad-hoc, unofficial history that I’ve collated of the neighbourhoods of the Mapperley ward.
There is a tremendous appetite to know about the history of our neighbourhoods.
History - the story of human life.
History - which can give people a real sense of commonality.
Even though we live more mobile lives than ever, we still want to know about our neighbourhoods’ history.
And what a history this place has.
The Wells Road, is a centuries old route into the city of Nottingham, through what was Sherwood Forest.
The Wells is the place where a brook started from out of the hills.
The brook’s source, described both as a spring and a well, was converted into a pool that people would bath in for healing.
And as a place to meet. The Gardener’s pub is also recorded as existing for many years.
And there was a turf maze nearby - a Shepherd’s Race maze. Mazes that were once created of exercise and games, but most likely in this case, for spiritual contemplation.
History says that the well has been known as Brodewell, then Owswell, then St.Anne’s Wells, then Robin Hood’s well, then St.Ann’s well again.
For many years, the leaders of the city would, on Easter Monday, walk from the city centre to here to make a religious homage.
This was a special place for many, many years, before any kind of development sprang up around here.
It says something about us that when we developed the civil engineering to culvert the brook, we did, with the erection of a small tower, a gothic well-house, to commemorate the Wells existence.
And even that was to soon be lost as the railways, and the St.Ann’s railway station, arrived - and the site was sacrificed to a new powerful kind of progress.
And as our reliance on the railways waned, we replaced it with new homes, and as you can see, a tiny plaque on the side of the pub.
I’m glad to see something more significant being erected to tell people about the significant history of this site.
Cheerful, and brightening up what is a rather dark and plain brick wall that supported the railway station that was here.
The design pays homage to the railways, the maze, the Victorian tower and to the monk’s chapel that was once here.
As well as recording those who’ve helped make this mosaic.
Congratulations to all involved in the making of this piece of public art. It’s a lovely mosaic. And gives us yet another reason to be proud of The Wells.
The Council commissuioned the mosiac top be made and erected during the Summer of 2007, during the school holidays.
The mosaic portrays the history of the area with the representations of the well, the chapel and the maze.
The design uses mosiacs, tiles and metal work.
The cost was around £7,000, being sought from external grants.
Local people wereinvolved in doing the work, especially a group of young people aged between 13 and 19.
[Last updated 2007-08-24]
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