The Pikeing Well formed an important part of the New Walk in the 18th century. In 1752 the City Corporation commissioned John Carr, York’s famous architect to design the well house which was an imitation of a stone ruin at a cost of just over £80, notably one of his first assignments. The Well was regarded as possessing medicinal qualities and the water was believed to be particularly good for bathing sore eyes. Residents made a practice of regularly drinking from it and for a long time it was a popular retreat. The well is now a grade II listed building and was recently restored in 2002 when over one metre of silt from the interior was removed to reveal the flight of steps leading from the door down to a carved stone well head.