Geology Site Account

Historical site only

At the western end of East Hams Central Park, at the junction of Cheltenham Gardens and Central Park Road, there originally existed a mineral spring that was famous for its alleged medicinal properties. The earliest record of the spring, known as the Millers Well, is from 1818 when it lay in open countryside and a separate well and spring are shown at this spot on the 1894 large scale Ordnance Survey map. The area was not fully developed until Edwardian times when the well and spring were finally concreted over.

The reason for a spring at this spot is not clear from the geological map. The site is situated on the Taplow/Mucking terrace of the Thames within a large expanse of what is called Mucking Gravel. It is likely that the gravel also contains layers of sand and clay and the water issues from a junction between different layers.

There is now no sign of the former existence of either the well or the spring but nearby in the Barking Road, opposite the town hall, a new Wetherspoons pub has been named The Millers Well.