‘Well’ I never!

When is a well not a well?

Clean running water hasn’t always conveniently come out of a tap in our homes. Once upon a time we had to rely on the parish pump in a public space to collect our water. Tottenham was no exception. Known as the ‘Old Well’, the historic structure on the corner of Tottenham Green once supplied fresh water to locals; technically, it was a hand pump where people could pump their water into a bucket.

The original pump – which looked entirely different to the one we see now - was installed on this spot in 1791, with somewhat dubious beginnings…    

(The Old Well (with the conical roof) at Tottenham Green, with Holy Trinity Church. c. 1905. From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum and Archive)

Thomas Smith (who changed his name from ‘Duck’) – was a lawyer based at Gray’s Inn. He was also Lord of the Manor at Bruce Castle during the 1790s. Smith may have held Bruce Castle, but he also owned and preferred to live at Grove House, which stood on the land by Tottenham Green now occupied by the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL).

However, having this much land at Tottenham Green was clearly not enough for Mr Smith! He decided he could exploit the enclosure act by cordoning off common land around Tottenham Green, with one small problem – the land he fancied was where the original village pump was. As Lord of the Manor, it was Smith’s duty to rectify this issue and so he installed a new pump ‘in consideration of his having been allowed to enclose a piece of waste land near Grove House, where he resided.’

The Tottenham pump, like many other parish water supplies around London and beyond, would have been a regular meeting point. It was not just for collecting water (some professional water carriers collected water in a bucket for a fee), but for collecting the latest parish gossip – who knows, Thomas Smith may well have been the subject of some local chit chat! It’s because of the reputation of parish pumps as sites for spreading stories and rumours that we now refer to office ‘watercooler gossip’. 

(The fountain pump at Tottenham Green, installed by Thomas Smith in 1791. Engraving from Robinson’s History of Tottenham. From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum and Archive)

William Morris and the Well…

Could the well at Tottenham Green have inspired stalwart of the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris (1834-1896) to have one of his own?

In 1859, the old parish pump underwent a major face-lift at a time when Victorian innovation and engineering was helping Tottenham adapt to a vastly growing population and the need for clean water supplies. (The establishment of a sewage works in South Tottenham, now remembered at Markfield Beam Engine and Museum, was also part of these important industrial developments).

The redesign of the well (which functionally remained a pump) was overseen by the surveyor to the Local Board of Health for Tottenham, the civil engineer Peter Paul (P.P.) Marshall. He had worked for the Local Board since 1858 and lived with his wife (and soon his new young family) at 10 Tottenham Terrace in White Hart Lane. 

Marshall designed the iconic tiled conical roof and red brick exterior we recognise today at Tottenham Green. Drawings of his design of 1859 survive at Bruce Castle Museum and Archive.

(Original designs for the Well by P.P. Marshall. From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum and Archive)

Fascinatingly, in the very same year that P.P. Marshall redesigned the well in Tottenham, a near identical well appeared in the gardens of William Morris’ ‘Red House’, designed by Morris’s friend, the architect and designer Philip Webb.

People have speculated it’s more than a coincidence that P.P. Marshall went to join William Morris as a founding partner of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (now Morris & Co.). Plus, Marshall's specification for the Tottenham well is signed and dated for 10 May 1859, while Philip Webb's specification for the well at Morris’ house is dated 2 months later in July 1859. 

The jury is still out on whether the Tottenham well was inspiration or imitation – read Haringey’s own Dr Jan Marsh’s article for the William Morris Society for a more detailed discussion. Either way, it is still a beautiful, unlikely link to the Arts and Crafts Movement and, in Jan’s words, ‘a picturesque reminder of ‘old Tottenham’’. 

(Watercolour of the Old Well by Lilian Russell Bell, 1908. From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum and Archive)

In 1883 the Tottenham well was chained up after its water was declared unsafe for drinking. It was never used again but still remains a landmark on the High Road. It is recognised for its design and architectural importance by its Grade II listed status. 

In 1953, the old well was refurbished by the Rotary Club of Tottenham to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Another restoration of the well took place in 2004 by Haringey Council in partnership with English Heritage, Transport for London Street Management and the Heritage of London Trust.

Holy Trinity – Tottenham’s Second Parish Church

Ever heard of a chapel-of-ease? This is what Holy Trinity was originally. 

Traditionally it was used as an overflow to the Parish Church, catering also for those unable to get to the main church conveniently. Holy Trinity, built alongside Tottenham Green between 1828 and 1830, was first consecrated as Tottenham’s chapel-of-ease for All Hallows. At the time, the population in Tottenham was steadily growing. Holy Trinity became Tottenham’s second Parish Church – soon to be joined by many more. 

(The setting of Holy Trinty and the Old Well at Tottenham Green, c.1860. From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum and Archive)

In the mid-19th century, Holy Trinity’s flock included some of the highflyers of Tottenham who lived in the many grand houses neighbouring Tottenham Green – one was benefactor Benjamin Godfrey Windus.

Lost Spires Over Tottenham Green

Holy Trinity was designed by James Savage (1779-1852), a respected London architect closely associated with the Gothic Revival style. Inspired by the lofty spires of Cambridge, Savage modelled his design on King’s College Chapel Cambridge, built over 300 years prior. The spires of Holy Trinity have long since gone, however, with the bases of each pinnacle remaining at roof level today. They can only now be appreciated from old photographs.

(View of Holy Trinity from Philip Lane, c.1900. From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum and Archive)

The Holy Trinity Community Today – Peace, Action and Resilience

The relatively austere yet beautiful design of Holy Trinity remains a welcoming community hub and place of peace and reflection next to the bustling High Cross junction.

On 7 August 2011 Holy Trinity and its church leader Rev’d Olunbunmi (Bunmi) Fagbemi played a central role for the community in the immediate aftermath of the riots that occurred following the peaceful gathering outside Tottenham Police Station in protest over the death of Mark Duggan. Here at the church, 30 community leaders gathered to discuss the community-led response.

(Rev’d Olunbunmi (Bunmi) Fagbemi speaking outside St Mark’s Church along the road on the High Road on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Tottenham riots. Courtesy: North London Citizens) 

Father Bunmi, of Holy Trinity, with Dawn Ferdinand, Head Teacher at the Willow on Broadwaters, went on to co-chair the Citizens’ Inquiry into the Tottenham Riots, to understand the underlying causes of and how it affected the community, as well as identify a clear plan of action for a brighter future in Tottenham.

The Citizens’ Inquiry was commissioned by North London Citizens, an alliance of 40 civic institutions, mostly faith and education, who work together to make change in their communities. The Citizens’ Inquiry was led by nine local community leaders who either lived or worked in Tottenham, supported by a board of advisors.

You can read their report online. 

In 2021, they led a service to mark the 10th anniversary since the shooting of Mark Duggan and the Tottenham Riots.

The Three Rs

Nestled on the corner of Philip Lane between the Old Well and Holy Trinty church is a small building with an ornate grey slate roof and tall chimney. Look up at the façade facing the High Road and the date-stone of 1847 says ‘SUNDAY AND INFANT SCHOOLS’.

This was the church’s Sunday School. During the week it catered as a very small church infants school, teaching the basic skills known as the Three Rs  (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic) – added to this another ‘R’ – Religion, i.e. learning by using the Bible. As education became a statutory requirement from 1870 onwards so demand for school places grew and new schools were built locally. 

(Class from Holy Trinity Infants School in 1888 posing outside the old school building. Notice the young ‘monitor’ teacher standing on the left. From the collections and © Bruce Castle Museum and Archive)

In 1907 Holy Trinity school merged with the Green School, a charity school for girls founded just up the High Road in 1792 by Priscilla Wakefield, that had moved to nearby Somerset Road. From then on the two schools evolved together, with changes of names along the way and use of both sites. By 1932 Holy Trinity Infants moved to a new building behind the church. By 1939 with new classrooms added it was the junior site for the merged schools. The school became known as the Green School with everything on one site at Somerset Road by 1984. In 2013 the school was renamed Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School.