Place Name
A reference to ancient Holy Well or Sacred Spring situated on the corner of the Uxbridge Road and evidence of the scattered character of the medieval settlement of Pinner, which dates back to at least 1231 when it was known as Pinnora. Waxwell was first recorded in 1274 as Wakeswell, which itself is thought to originate from Waecc’s Spring. A name that Stephen Liddell explains in his blog as meaning: “The name is either from a personal name or Anglo-Saxon Woecce which means ‘to guard’ perhaps suggesting that the water was important or associated with a ritual. However, the site is close to Grim’s Dyke which was the boundary of Mercia (was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) so the guard may relate to use by people associated with that site. Before that it was possibly a defensive works by the Catuvellauni tribe against the Romans.” Until the mid 1800s it was the principal source of water for Pinner. The well is now closed and sealed but is clearly marked.
