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By Laura Copsey
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
Laura Copsey is an experimental illustrator, therapist, educator and musician.
By Laura Copsey
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
Laura Copsey is an experimental illustrator, therapist, educator and musician.
By Laura Copsey
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
Laura Copsey is an experimental illustrator, therapist, educator and musician.
By Laura Copsey
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
The New River Tarot cards are inspired by the history of numerous water sources and rituals that existed in the landscape of Islington, London, prior to the construction of the New River (an artificial waterway) in 1613.
Given that water is essential to life, it is no surprise that mediaeval culture revolved around the daily collection of water and the locations in which it could be sought. Mystery plays were regularly performed around wells to a captive audience; there is still a well under Sadler's Wells Theatre’s main stage today. The wells competed with each other to attract the biggest audiences, falling in and out of fashion, with many becoming renowned for their healing powers.
One well of particular interest is the mysterious, now-lost 16th century well in Clerkenwell, known as Black Mary’s Hole. Once located around half a mile upstream from Turnmill Street and adjacent to Black Mary’s Field in Bagnigge Marsh, no trace of Black Mary’s Hole exists today – its location is hidden under a modern council block, presumably in the vicinity of ‘Spring House’.
Archive descriptions from the time suggest the waters of Black Mary’s Hole held the particular ability to cure sore eyes and thereby ‘clear one’s vision.’ A curious suggestion described in an Account of the Various Mineral Waters around London, published in 1813, stated: “The hole, was leased to one Mary, who kept a black cow, whose milk the guests consumed, mixed with the waters.” Chesca Potter documents a visit to the rough location of Black Mary’s Hole with a local psychic in 2006. The psychic felt the site held the energy of a lunar goddess and suggested it was “perhaps once a sacrificial pit in her honour”. Potter claimed this could explain the etymology of use of ‘hole’ instead of ‘well’ and the space could have once been dedicated to Black Mary or the Black Madonna whose worship led on from the cult of Black Isis, a lunar deity often depicted in the form of a sacred cow.1 Records indicate visitors did frequent Black Mary’s Hole on a full moon, which may have been for safety’s sake due to the notoriety of the area for highway robbery, but perhaps also in celebration of the dark side of the moon.
As the population of London continued to grow, the wells of Islington, including Black Mary’s Hole, often ran dry or became contaminated. In 1603, in response to this dilemma, construction began on a man-made new river. This was an enormous engineering project funded by the King and intended to channel ‘sweete freshe’ water into London from a cut in the River Lea some 28 miles away. Inventively named the 'New River’ it concluded its course at New River Head in Islington, a stone’s throw from Black Mary’s Hole.
The New River ushered in a drastic shift in society’s relationship to water. What was once free to all now became chargeable, eventually shifting humanity’s reliance from nature to engineers, from collective action to individual provision, from ritual to immediate consumption. Astonishingly, the New River has been in continuous use for over 400 years, and continues to supply around 8% of London’s fresh water today.
The New River Tarot cards are made from collaged photograms, which were created by wading in the New River at night in the thin light of the new moon to capture impressions of water onto light-sensitive paper. They were created in collaboration with Philip Crewe as part of the House of Illustration residency.
Available to purchase.
Laura Copsey is an experimental illustrator, therapist, educator and musician.