On the banks of the river Nidd, near the town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, England is a spring that was once thought to have been cursed by the devil. 

Locals feared the place.  The use of witchcraft was clearly in evidence, they whispered.  You could tell just by looking at the springs.  Anyone could see that the waterfall over which the spring flowed looked like a giant’s skull. 

If anyone could pluck up the courage to get close to the well into which the water fell, they would see that anything the water touched had been turned to stone.  The leaves of the trailing Ivy, sticks, even a dead bird.  Nothing was safe from the power of the springs. 

Some said that if you let the mysterious and frightening waters of the well touch you, then you would also be petrified.  

Eventually he more adventurous citizens of Knaresborough realized (or perhaps they knew all along) that the waters of the well wouldn’t cause something to instantly be turned to stone.  Instead, if an object was left in the waters, it was gradually petrified.  Because of this, townspeople sought out the well in order to leave objects that would gradually turn to stone.

About that time, the well was experiencing a boom in popularity due to its proximity to the local soothsayer, Ursula Southeil (who is better known as Mother Shipton).  These days, Mother Shipton is credited with foretelling everything from the Great Fire of London to Australia to cellular phones to the end of the world.  (All in rhyme.  Think Dr. Seuss meets Nostradamus.)

According to popular legend, Mother Shipton was the daughter of Agatha, a local prostitute and the devil (or possibly just a mysterious stranger who kept her in the lap of luxury).  Although the legend says that Agatha’s lover continued to support her, she chose to have her child in a cave near the supposedly devil-cursed, witchcraft plagued petrified well.

So it’s not really surprising that when Agatha’s baby was born misshapen, people began to talk.  The talk continued throughout the future Mother Shipton’s childhood and through the point of marriage.  At that point, Mother Shipton gave them plenty of other things to talk about with her lyrical prophecies.   As Mother Shipton’s notoriety grew, so did the fame of the petrifying well. 

In 1538 John Leyland, Antiquary to Henry VIII noted that many people came to the well to bathe and drink from the water because it was thought to have curative properties (So much for witchcraft). 

In the early 1600’s medical physicians examined the waters, and pronounced that they could cure any malady that the body might have.  Then, in 1630, King Charles I sold the land that the well sits on to Sir Charles Slingsby.  Sir Slingsby must have been able to recognize a business opportunity when he saw one, because he immediately put the well on exhibition and charged money for guided tours around his new property.   The well and its surrounding area have been in continuous operation as an attraction since then.

Eventually, scientists debunked the witchcraft theory by explaining exactly what happened during the well’s “petrifying” process: Mineral deposits in the water formed a hard shell around whatever was left in the water. 

Over the years, celebrities including Queen Mary, John Wayne and Agatha Christie have left items behind to be petrified in the well.  A soft toy can take anywhere from three to five months to petrify, while larger, nonporous items can take up to 18 months.