The Tanzie Well, also known as Saint Anne's Well, the Washing House Well^[1] or the Spoot^[2] is located beside the River Irvine (NS 32448 38361) in the Golf-fields or Golffields (pronounced 'Go-fields') at the end of the footbridge across the River Irvine in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It has been suggested that 'Tanzie' may be a corruption of St Inan's Well. The old Irvine Pouther House of 1801 is located nearby.

Tanzie Well

Location of the Tanzie Well, Irvine, North Ayrshire

The well, spring or spout is located below the embankment of the footpath near to the River Irvine footbridge and is accessed by concrete slab steps. The well has a plaque recording its name and basic history as installed in 1994 by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC). A stone-lined culvert carries the outflow down to the River Irvine. The relatively abundant flow comes directly from the ground without any discernible pipe or culvert. The well water is first collected in a concrete cistern and then piped down to the springs exit. Previously a cast iron stand pipe was located at the site and the water could be collected from this for personal use.

Writing in 2008 of the 1940s, Elis White said that the well, spring, or spoot had the purest, clearest water and as far as I know came when Scott’s Loch up around Knadgerhill was drained to run into the river at various places. In any case, it was a popular drink for invalids and it was a common sight for us to see people walking away from it carrying a bottle of the water from it. Even a jug in earlier days, and I well remember going to it as a wee lassie along with my father to take some to my Granny in Townhead.^[2]

The Ordnance Survey maps shows that the land above the well was part of the Golf Fields.^[3] The maps also show a significant historical continuity of woodland at the well site, running down to the other holy well, the Chapel Well, suggested also by the presence of plants indicative of old woodlands such as bluebells, red campion Silene dioica, etc.

The aforementioned plaque installed by the Irvine Development Corporation in 1984 records that the capped 'Washing House' well was uncovered when the footpath was being constructed, a masonry cistern covered with an old grave stone being discovered. Until recently a pipe carried water out through a brick face however this was destroyed by a utility company and never restored despite local calls for it to be restored.

Typical wetland plants are present at the site such as hemlock water dropwort as well as species only found in clean constantly running water like as watercress. Also noted at the site are green figwort, brooklime speedwell, wild angelica, opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, green alkanet, reed canarygrass, giant hogweed, bishopweed, celandine, and Himalayan balsam.

• Irvine
• Beith
• River Irvine
• Saint Inan
• The Chapel Well