The Red Well

The Red Well was the most famous of several springs in Wellingborough. Visited by royalty, it has since given its name to the Redwell area of the town and this Wetherspoon pub.

King Charles I escorted his young wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, to the Red Well at Wellingborough in 1628. His 19-year-old consort had yet to produce an heir to the throne and was keen to taste the sparkling spring waters, which reputedly improved fertility. Whether water or an increasingly happy marriage were responsible - by the time the king and queen returned to Wellingborough in 1637, they had four children.