What is recorded here
This commemorative plaque records: The High Street Wellhead. The original wellhead or cistern in this position, probably of around 1675, had a chequered history. It was seriously damaged by a horse-drawn fire engine in January 1897 and rebuilt. The cisterns provided water from Comiston Springs via the Castlehill Reservoir for the inhabitants of the old town. They became important meeting places where long queues formed. They fell into disuse in the 19th century when supplies to individual houses became possible. The wellhead was rebuilt again and restored to use with basins and running drinking waster by the Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Turst and Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Limited in 1997.
Why this person mattered
The High Street Wellhead provided essential water supply to Edinburgh's old town from Comiston Springs via Castlehill Reservoir, serving as a crucial communal gathering spot until individual house supplies became feasible in the 19th century. Restored in 1997, it now stands as a historical monument reflecting the evolution of urban water management and community life.
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