Building record MAB18634 - MOSES WELL, MISS BRISTOW'S WOOD

A well spring, housed in a vaulted granite ashlar well-house, notable for the carved sandstone panels attached to the facade which depict Moses.

A well spring, housed in a vaulted granite ashlar well-house, notable for the carved sandstone panels attached to the facade which depict Moses. In 2003 a reassessment was undertaken of the three carved panels set into the facade of the well-house, which forms part of a designed landscape feature in Miss Bristow's Wood. The Wood, a pleasure ground within the estate of Castle Fraser, was established at the end of the 18th Century. The exact date of the well-house is not clear, with suggestions that it was constructed either circa 1795 or in the 19th Century. The carved sandstone panels which depict biblical scenes are unusual, and do not seem to have been specifically designed for the well-house but rather added from elsewhere. Two of the panels, which are mounted on either side of the well-house door, have been discovered to be conjoining fragments of a single panel, perhaps originally some 2m in height. A large figure of Moses with his staff is surrounded by scenes from his life, which appear to include (1) Moses communing with the Lord on Mount Sinai, (2) Moses and the burning bush, (3) the Israelites collecting manna in the desert or Moses bringing forth water in the desert. The style and iconography suggest a mid 17th Century date and a possible Dutch origin. A third panel, presently mounted above the well-house door, bears the carved representation of a banner, surmounted by a ribbon inscribed with fragmentary remains of text. The banner itself appears to have borne an extensive inscription, of which only tiny fragments survive. All the carved panels bear the traces of paint and possible signs of exposure to heat, suggesting that the Moses panel and the inscription have a shared history prior to their insertion into the well-house, if not a shared origin.

Period Notes
Thought to have been built c.1795, but an alternative date of the 19th Century has also been proposed. The carved sandstone panels may date from 17th Century.

Untitled Source (Ground Photograph). SAB17931.

NTS, 1996, Castle Fraser Historic Landscape Survey:Plans, plans (Bibliographic reference). SAB1310.

landscape survey

NTS, 1996, CASTLE FRASER:HISTORIC LANDSCAPE SURVEY (Bibliographic reference). SAB1289.

LANDSCAPE SURVEY

FRASER, S. M., 2003, CASTLE FRASER ESTATE, PP.15-16, pp.15-16 (Bibliographic reference). SAB557.

DES

Jul 12 2014 , AAS-GR-14-07-262 to 266, AAS-GR-14-07-262 to 266 (Ground Photograph). SAB35535.

Jun 10 2003 , AAS-GR-03-06-012 - 014, AAS-GR-03-06-012 - 014 (Ground Photograph). SAB35742.

Jun 10 2003 , CT 1, CT 1 (Ground Photograph). SAB13109.

Oct 31 2005 , E 69110,12, E 69110,12 (Ground Photograph). SAB20406.

Record last edited

Oct 28 2022 12:24PM