Trysting well to be restored Prince Charles plan for soldier love spot
An old well blown to bits by French troops after a love rift with a girl is to be restored - by Prince Charles.
Lady’s Well was dug on Charles’s Dumfries House estate long before the stately home was built.
The deep well was destroyed after the soldiers stationed on the estate dropped explosives down it during World War II.
Legend has it they were raging after being spurned in the love stakes by a girl from Cumnock.
Little is known of the detail of the spat, but it is said the well was a wellknown rendevous for liaisons with local lassies.
It was 1944 and the blast also recked the ornate stone structure above it.
Now plans for the restoration of the historic well have been given the green light.
East Ayrshire Council has approved plans for the full structure to be restored.
The approval noted: “The proposal accords with the strategic policy of East Ayrshire’s local development plan.
“There is are no material considerations in this instance which would justify a recommendation other than approval.”
However, it was only partly destroyed - the remaining structure was dismantled in 1963.
The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust is aiming to reinstate the well and stone structure to its original design.
The well was originally constructed to serve the predecessor of Dumfries House, Leifnorris house.
The overhead structure and was created in the 1756 and it was a design of John Adam - who was a Scottish architect that was responsible for the creation of the Dumfries House along with his brother Robert.
In 1944, a group of architects from Ayr were tasked with producing drawings of the remains with the intention of rebuilding the structure.
But this did not happen and all the stone work was spread around the nearby riverbank.
Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage ( SGLH) were delighted by the news.
The SGLH Conservative Consultant said: “We support the restoration of this structure.
“But we would wish to be assured that the works were carried out in line with the recommendations for restoring the Lady’s Well in its original place.”
* D o y o u r f a m i l y know who the local girls were at the time who had a penchant for the monsieurs?
Call 01292 262200 if you can shed any light.