In the heart of London, between Camden and Islington, an ambitious artistic project, sponsored by the Mayor of London’s Untold Stories Fund and the Arts Council, is breathing new life into an almost forgotten chapter of the city’s past.
The Black Mary Project is a community-led initiative that reimagines the historic healing well known as Black Mary’s well. This project, based in the Calthorpe Community Garden on Gray’s Inn Road (Camden), is not only about commemorating a lost past and Black women caregivers; it’s about forging new spaces of creativity and community.
A Healing Well of Legend
Long before bustling urban centers, Clerkenwell (Islington) and Camden were crisscrossed with natural springs and wells that served as vital communal resources. Among these was Black Mary’s well, tucked away outside the ancient city walls, in an area of Clerkenwell that has been known for a long time as Mount Pleasant.
According to local lore, this well was tended in the 17th century by Mary Woolaston, a free Black woman whose story has long been obscured by gaps in the historical records.
I have been researching this shadowy figure as part of the Black Mary Project, and I finally managed to cast some light on a woman that many people have been fascinated about throughout the decades.
The Wells Curative Waters
Accounts tell us that Mary’s healing well was famed for its iron-rich, curative waters, reputed to cure ailments such as sore eyes and other conditions. Set in an idyllic countryside, Londoners flocked to it to escape from the dreadful city life at the time, marred by war, the plague and the Great fire.
But many have questioned if Mary existed at all. Often driven by the belief that a Black woman couldn’t have possibly lived an independent life in London at the time.
AI image generated with prompt from historical sources
In fact, the well earned its evocative name amid a mix of folklore and reality, with sources suggesting various origins of the moniker “Black Mary”:
Historical sources about Black Mary’s Well
- The well was leased to a woman named Mary who had a black cow, whose milk was drunk by people mixed with the curative waters. This account is mentioned in the “Gentleman’s Magazine” (1813). This particular source seems to be the least credible. It feels as if there was an unwillingness at the time to admit that a Black woman could have been free and independent, let alone work, have a social role and be a caregiver. Let’s not forget that the Slavery Abolition Act passed only in 1833. It’s no wonder that the article “smells” of White Imperialistic and Patriarchal ideals.
- In Medieval times the place was called Blessed Mary’s Well, but the name was changed into Black Mary’s Well after the Reformation.
- Until the dissolution of the monasteries, the land on which the well was, belonged to the Nunnery of St Mary’s in Clerkenwell and it refers to the nuns of the order wearing black.
- The name referred to the statue of a Black Madonna that went lost or destroyed during the Reformation. Typically used in Catholic Countries to worship the Virgin Mary. There are examples of Black Madonnas in London. The most relevant to our story is the one in the parish church of Saint Mary in Willesden. The church was founded in 938 A.D. and the first written mention of the building and its holy well is dated 1181. Tradition tells of an apparition of the Virgin Mary in the churchyard and by 1475 there were records of pilgrimages to the church to see the statue and drink the miraculous healing waters from the well, said to be beneficial for the eyes (exactly like Black Mary’s Well). In 1538, during the Reformation, the statue was removed and burnt. Something similar might have occurred in Clerkenwell, but of course, in this instance there was no church involved, only a well. There is no record of it ever being considered holy.
And finally, Mary Woolaston. There are a number of Georgian and Victorian sources that mention her, but the two most relevant are the “History and description of the Parish of Clerkenwell” by Thomas Cromwell (1828) and “The history of Clerkenwell” by William Pinks (1863).
What do we know about her from these sources?
Of course, she was an early Black Briton. Allegedly, she lived in a stone hut or small house by the spring.
She lived around the mid-1600s and died before 1697 when the spring and therefore the well, where turned into a conduit.
As previously mentioned, the land where the well was located belonged, until the dissolution of the monasteries, to St Mary’s nunnery in Clerkenwell. It was acquired in 1600 by Robert Harvey of Bedfordshire, with other land in Islington, from one Nicholas Bagley. In 1692, the greater part of the estate was let on a 99-year lease by a later Robert Harvey (son or grandson?) to John Henley of Lambeth, a merchant tailor, and Walter Baynes, lawyer, of the Middle Temple. Three and a half years later Harvey sold the freehold of the entire estate in equal shares to Henley and Baynes. (The land deeds and documents can be viewed at the London Archives). In 1697, Baynes created at the site a new conduit or reservoir for public use and, at the same time, exploited another spring a little south of the well by then gone, to supply his ambitious commercial venture, the Cold Bath. A spot better known a century later as the site of the biggest prison in the Country (but this is a story for another time…).
It can be easily deduced that by then Mary would have long gone.
With the fast growing population of London and the need for housing, in 1818 the conduit was removed, a group of houses by the name of ‘Spring Place’ was built. With no regard for its significance the well was turned into a cesspit for the houses.
Awaiting Insights: Historic England–Supported Research Into Civil War Defence Lines
Although this sounds like a sad ending, there is more to tell about Mary.
There is a very interesting anecdote, which indicates that Mary used to bring water to the Civil War soldiers encamped nearby (once again allegedly!)
There is a new project, supported by Historic England, which has been reviewing the position of the Civil War defences for the past few years.
The archaeologist Peter Mills thinks that, in the area in question, the trenches were dug from the top of the hill at the New River Head, down Margery Street, to Mount Pleasant and further.
If this theory is proven to be correct in the near future, it would mean that Mary’s well would have been less than 100 meters away from the trenches, supporting the story of Mary bringing water to the Civil War soldiers. However, we will never know for sure as this fact belongs to oral history and there is nothing to prove it.
A fact that finally corroborates Mary’s existence is that there are historical records confirming that by the end of the 16th Century, at least four Black women were living not far from the well, in Clerkenwell. The records found at the London Archives are a letter and a tax return but unfortunately the names of these women are not mentioned.
The letter is dated 28 May 1599 and it is from Denis Edwards to Thomas Lankford, Secretary to the Earl of Hertford. In it, Mr Edwards is asking for help to find out the whereabouts of the Black woman that once lived in his household as he is worried she might be staying in Turnmill Street (at the time known for being a dangerous place rife with crime and prostitution). There is no reply to that letter in the archives.
In regards to the tax return dated 1593, all we know is that it came from the household of a man called Paul Bayning and that three Black women are mentioned. Nothing more.
In my opinion, the presence of early Black Britons in the area during Tudor times makes Mary’s story, although still not verifiable in academic terms, more than just plausible. Let’s not forget that in the 17th Century the British Transatlantic Slave Trade hadn’t started yet. Mary could have indeed rented the well from Robert Harvey and lived selling its waters.
This brings us to the final question: where exactly was Mary’s well?
After working on various maps and sources, and also with the invaluable help of Historic England, I have pinpointed the exact location of the well. As I have previously stated, the area was densely built upon in the 1820’s and the well was turned into a cesspit. With the arrival of the railway decades later, the well must have been completely wiped out, as there is a tunnel running right underneath the site. As you can see from the pictures, the exact location is right at the bottom of Lloyd Baker Street, at the corner with Farringdon Road. Right opposite a new development on Mount Pleasant. Unfortunately, it is no longer the magical place it once was but is simply lost under the layers of modernity.
The good news is that now the site of Black Mary’s well is registered with Historic England and it has been added to the Greater London Historic England Record as a site of importance.
Despite these competing narratives, it’s my belief that Mary Woolaston did exist and still is a resilient figure who defied the conventions of her time by running her own business in a world that rarely recorded the lives of poor, working-class women, especially those of African descent.
The Black Mary Project: Reclaiming History Through Art
Fast-forward to the 21st century, and the spirit of Black Mary is poised for a renaissance. Led by artist-curator Gaylene Gould, the Black Mary Project is dedicated to uncovering, reinterpreting, and celebrating this hidden history. The initiative draws upon what Gaylene calls “critical fabulation”: an approach that embraces the gaps in historical records to create a narrative that is part factual, part speculative, and wholly inspiring.
Black Mary Project Highlights
A Healing Garden and Memorial Sculpture:
Sculptor Marcia Bennett-Male and the Calthorpe Community Garden are collaborating to design a serene garden space where the effigy of Mary will be installed in June 2025. This space will not only serve as a memorial to Mary Woolaston but also as a living, evolving site of community healing and artistic expression.
Public Events and Healing Tours
The project features a series of public events—including walking tours led by me and the artistic director Gaylene Gould—designed to connect participants with the layered history of the area while inviting them to share their personal stories of resilience and healing.
Creative Workshops
In line with its ethos, the initiative hosts creative workshops that use art as a medium to express and commemorate personal histories connected to water, healing, and community.
Exhibition
The Black Mary Project will be featured in an exhibition dedicated to the subject of WATER at the WELLCOME COLLECTION on Euston Road, starting in July 2025.
Why This Revival Matters
London has a storied tradition of public healing spaces—wells and spas that once served as communal hubs where rich and poor came together. The Black Mary Project confronts the way history has traditionally been recorded, by highlighting a story once considered marginal. By reviving the narrative of Mary Woolaston, the project challenges patriarchal and exclusionary histories, asserting that every person’s story is worthy of being remembered.
Through art and storytelling, the forgotten becomes celebrated, and a hidden piece of London’s heritage is brought into the light.