Irons Well (Chalybeate)

	Irons Well

Close to Eyeworth Pond, near Fritham, is a spring beside a gravelled track once used by gunpowder carriers from a nearby factory. Fenced round with plank railings, the spring has been known as Irons Well since at least the late-18th century when it appeared on Richardson, King and Driver’s map of the New Forest.

It is shown on modern Ordnance Survey maps as Irons Well (Chalybeate), which is a reference to impregnation with iron salts that colour rusty red its bed and sides.

The waters were said to have curative properties particularly helpful for sore eyes, bad legs and other ailments, including leprosy. Consequently, the spring was also known as Lepers’ Well, and it’s thought that nearby was a Lazar House, a place of rest for those suffering from the disease.

Now, though, the only visitors are walkers and cyclists on the adjacent track, and a variety of birds that come to feed in the nearby overhanging alders.

For further information about Eyeworth Pond and the old gunpowder factory, click here