Interior of St Bernards Well showing Greek Urn and ceiling detail, near Dean Village on the Water of Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland

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“The chief ornament of this delightful valley” Alexander Campbell, 1801 A natural spring was discovered near the Dean Village on the Water of Leith in 1760, and was soon a visitor attraction as at that time ‘taking the waters’ was thought to be very good for the health. Some claimed that the water could cure everything from a bruised leg to ‘total blindness’, but others described the taste as having the ‘odious twang of hydrogen gas’ or even like ‘the washings from a foul gun barrel’. The building was designed by the painter Alexander Nasymth in 1789, and the statue inside represents Hygeia the Greek goddess of health.

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Size: 4016px × 6016px
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Frontline Photography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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