The Old Well, High Street, Penicuik

The Old Well, located on High Street in Penicuik, was built in 1864 by architect J A Bell. It features a polished ashlar sandstone octagonal well head topped with an ogee cap and an amphora finial. The well is flanked by curved dwarf walls with coped terminals; the terminal to the northeast is missing its cope, while the southwest terminal is topped with a decorative cast-iron lamp standard.

On the street-facing side of the octagonal base, there is a slightly advanced tooled stone panel inscribed with 'The Gift of Alexr. Cowan. 1864'. This panel incorporates a square metal panel and a metal well tap, along with an advanced basin that has a roll-moulded coped rim situated below. The sides of the well feature part-infilled arched recesses at ground level for watering dogs. The ogee cap extends to form a cornice that arches over the street face of the octagon, with a scallop shell centered in the arch head.

On the rear face of the well, there is a cast-iron plaque with an inscription that details the construction of the well and its predecessor. It reads, 'The old well was built on this site in 1809 by D and A Cowan who also put up the public cart weights near this at the same time. This new well designed by J A Bell architect was erected in 1864 for the water of the old spring and for the water from Sillerburn... ...at the expense and by the desire of the late Alexander Cowan.'