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Taff's Well thermal spring is located in Taff's Well (Welsh: Ffynnon Taf) north of Cardiff, South Wales, UK (National Grid Reference ST 11925 83639) and an elevation of about 30m AOD. It is the only thermal spring in Wales. The spring emerges on the eastern bank of the River Taff and has been contained within a brick well structure and building. Access is via Taff's Well park, a public park, owned and maintained by ("Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council" ). The spring is enclosed inside a well and stone building constructed in the 19th century. The well built to contain the spring waters is brick lined and approximately 4m deep. The building has an internal dimension of 5.3m x 3.9m and water fills this area.〔 A brick built spiral staircase is incorporated in the inside of the well. There is one visible overflow pipe which emerges several meters to the west of the spring, on the bank of the River Taff. The thermal springs are all located in Carboniferous Limestone synclines and basins. These structural settings allow water to descend to sufficient depth for it to be heated by the geothermal gradient, and to return to the surface without a significant fall in temperature.〔Gallois, R.W. 2006. The geology of the hot springs at Bath Spa, Somerset. Geoscience in south-west England, 11, 168-173〕 Taffs Well spring is also located in a similar setting, the southern limb of the south Wales Coalfield syncline. The site is not protected by any statutory legislation; it is however a registered "Regionally Important Geological Site" or RIGS 〔http://www.ukrigs.org.uk〕 and a Grade II listed building site 〔http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk〕 == History == The early history of Taff's Well spring is not well documented. Roman settlements and roads occur throughout the Taff Valley and one could speculate it was used by the Romans on a local scale. An early writing states it was sometimes called ‘Ffynnon Dwym’ or ‘tepid well’. In 1799 flood waters are reported to have removed Roman masonry that once adjoined the well. 19th century dictionaries 〔Slaters Dictionary of North and South Wales 1868 pgSW245〕〔Worrals Dictionary of South Wales 1875 pg 408〕 mention the reported medicinal properties of the water, especially for the cure of rheumatism and the waters are said to possess medicinal properties of very high order.〔 The following excerpt is from Hall 1861.〔Hall, 1861. The Book of South Wales the Wye and the Coast. Published by Arthur Hall, Virtue and Co London〕 It is a description of people's beliefs in the healing powers of holy wells in the nineteenth century. :At all hours of the day and night there are ailing and decrepit persons, men, women, and children, waiting “a turn” to bathe. Women must bathe here as well as men, and when a bonnet is hung on the outside, it is a sign that the gentler sex have possession. As but two, or at most three can find room in the bath inside, it is obvious that persons seeking relief must wait sometimes for hours before they obtain right of entrance. Yet it would be very easy to produce larger accommodation; for as we have observed there are several other springs at hand,. That might be at little cost fitted up for bathers. These bathers however are of the poorer classes and although we believe a fee is paid by them to the farmer who owns the ground, there is little prospect of any better accommodation until some practically minded benevolent person interferes to promote the comfort and restore the health of humble visitors to the Well.〔 Hall concluded that the waters relieved and occasionally cured chronic disorders, citing a young man who came as a cripple and left after a fortnights bathing able "to run about the green meadow and enjoy life."〔 Another patient was described, an Irishman who was unable to move without the aid of crutches. ”But how” we inquired, “how is it that with such a number of holy wells in your own country you leave them and come to St. Taff to be cured?” “Because I’m for justice to ould Ireland. Does your honour think that when I had the misfortune to take up with the rhumatis in this country, I’d go bothering my own saints to give me the cure? I’d scorn it ! hav’n’t they enough to do with their own blind and bochers, without bein’ put upon to do the work that belongs to St. Taff ? It was down in his mines I got it, and it’s his duty to see me righted ; and so he will, with God’s help someday. If the gorsoons would let me alone, I’d be a dale healthier meeself ; but aftermee dip in the well, when I come down here to go over mee bades, and say ‘God be wid ould times,’ and think of where mee heart lies bleedin,’ – of the pleasant places, the singing strames and singing birds, and one that is singing sweeter than either up there now ! 〔 The growing popularity of Taff's Well spring as a tourist destination was again reported in 1877 by the chemist J. W. Thomas 〔J.W. Thomas, 1877. On the waters of Taff's Well. Transactions of the Cardiff Nature Society, 1877. p48〕 who said ‘the well waters have long since obtained some celebrity, especially the well water as a curative agent for rheumatism.’ Thomas sensibly concludes ‘we do not feel encouraged by this story (which, by the way, we rather fancy we have heard before) to insist very much upon the curative properties of the Water of Taff's Well.’ During the 19th century a weir was constructed across the River Taff. This caused the widening of the River Taff which moved eastwards towards the spring with floodwaters often covering the spring ("Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council" ). The well building fell into disrepair at the beginning of World War I, and in 1929 the Taffs Well villagers decided to repair the well and it re-opened in 1930 complete with a small swimming pool. It was around this time that the famous travel writer H.V Morton 〔H.V Morton. 1932 IN Search of Wales Chapter 12 part 5〕 visited the well dedicating several pages of his 1932 book to the well. A large flood in the 1950s caused the pool, and well, to fall into disuse once again. In 1978 the wells waters were used to rescue the village bowling greens from drought. It was not until the 1990s that a redevelopment of the area was undertaken by ("Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council" ). Taff's Well spring is not currently used for water supply or recreational use. Rhondda Cynon Taff Council had plans to reinstate the spring and to utilise it as a tourist attraction but these have not been fully realised. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Taff's Well Thermal Spring」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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