Staying with my son for a few days in Bristol, it would have been rude not to visit a few holy wells. People often express amazement that there are holy wells to be found in England but, as in Ireland, they are everywhere if you bother to look – admittedly some more obvious than others. Knowing his mother well, Will had already sussed out a potentially exciting and interesting looking well in the Forest of Dean. We took supplies, piled into his van and headed off.
St Anthony’s Well, Cinderford, Gloucestershire
My visit coincided with the bluebells – astonishing displays in the woodlands, often combined with wild garlic, a white and pungent carpet.
For some reason I was amazed at how much of the Forest of Dean remains – we skirted it for several miles before finally turning down an exceptionally small road leading deep into the forest towards Cinderford. In fact it was more like a track – the road getting smaller and the potholes getting larger. Will was unfazed and we parked in dense claggy red clay, deciding to worry about the possibly tricky exit later.
The well lies in a clearing amongst the magnificent trees – beech, their leaves just opening and a startling, vivid green.
We had to leap across a stream to access it and the clay was damp and squelchy, hard to get a footing in the steep slopes.
The site is an impressive one. There are two bodies of water, the large rectangular pool the most imposing. Probably dating from the late eighteenth century, it must originally have been designed as a plunge pool and is at least one and a half metres deep.
The water, an extraordinary cloudy blue, can be seen percolating vigorously and is approached down a short flight of narrow steps.
Behind it lies a smaller well, presumably for drinking and bathing the eyes.
The day was a cold one for the end of April – a miserable damp 7c – and after plunging our hands in the water mine turned purple and Will’s a greeny white! I later found out that this well is renowned for its exceptional freshness! It holds a cure of course, especially for skin diseases. It seems to work for dogs too:
Bathing in this water is an infallible cure for the itch, and other cutaneous disorders; and a gentleman of Little Dean assured me, that his dogs were cured of the mange after being thrown into it two or three times. The water is extremely cold.
Rudder: New History of Gloucestershire, 1779
Sore eyes and rheumatism are also catered for, May being the preferred month:
Its peculiar efficacy being combined with the rising of the sun, the month of May, and the visits to it being repeated nine times in succession.
Nicholls, The Forest of Dean: An Historical and Descriptive Account, 1858
It sounds as though the well had become neglected and silted up for in 2021 a major restoration programme was undertaken by The Rewild Project in conjunction with Forestry England. It was obviously cold and smelly work as barrowfuls of dense silt were removed. Their website gives the full account!
The water flows copiously from the well down into the area below, swampy today.
The well is dedicated to St Anthony, a follower of Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is the 13th June. He is patron saint of amputees, animals, mail, horses, expectant mothers, fishermen, harvests, lost articles, boatmen, and travellers, as well as the elderly, oppressed, poor, and starving. A good man to have on your side.
We wandered around then ate a welcome lunch of brie, sourdough bread and grapes, sitting rather damply on a log and marvelling at it. I later heard that there are many boars in the forest and almost wished I’d seen one.
The van slid effortlessly off the mud and we carried on, the road thankfully improving as we progressed.
Edington Holy Well, Edington, Somerset
On another occasion, having had a wonderful morning in the Somerset Levels and on our way to Glastonbury I noticed a sign for Holy Well on the map. This led us down even more tiny cow parsley strewn lanes to Edington Well, a large flamboyant edifice on the corner of the road. On closer inspection it had seen better days – a fallen tree lay in front, danger notices and warning tape defacing the site.
It sounds as though it has had a checkered career and by 1915 was in a smelly and unkept state, though said to be good for scorbutic ailments such as scurvy:
Horne, 1923
.. (the) water gathers in a well-made stone tank about three feet square, the top of which is level with the surrounding ground. It is covered with two stone slabs, one of which at the date of visit in April 1915 had been removed, and the tank was half full of decaying leaves as a consequence. The water was three feet in depth and ran through a stone spout. The flow was slight, and the water of a greenish milky colour, with a strong and horrible smell of sulphur.
It was restored in renovated in 1937 in the memory of Margaret Charlotte Fownes Luttrell who was born and raised in the village, living until she was 90.
Today the well was dry, but the water originally flowed out from the stone under the arch. There was no sulphurous smell either. It seems plans are afoot for another renovation programme according to Edington Parish Council. It deserves it.
We carried on towards Glastonbury, the Tor casting its magic from every angle.
We had to of course visit the White Spring and the Red Spring. The Red Spring is the same source as the Chalice Well, which lies behind walls in a sacred garden, a fee to enter. The water is available from a tap on the roadside and is generally known as the Red Spring after the copious amounts of iron in it. Its taste is invigorating and strong.
Literally across the road is the White Spring. Photographs are not permitted inside but the entrance is through a portal which leads into a cavernous area built during the Victorian period, lit only by candlelight. There is a central plunge pool, little shrines in every corner, the atmosphere rich and mystical. Today a woman was singing, a man played a flute, a dog wandered around, two naked men submerged themselves in the main pool, others sat in quiet meditation – the eyes of the Buddha, the BVM, Isis, Cernunnos and many other deities upon us. A truly extraordinary place.
Normally water is available from a tap outside but today there were issues, since resolved. The water here is very different to the Red Well, rich in calcites and softer and thicker. Both have a hefty kick in my opinion.
Whilst in Glastonbury we visited the ancient Gog and Magog trees, all that’s left of a ceremonial avenue of oak trees leading to the foot of the Tor – said to be 1200 years old. Only one is still alive and the other only clinging on but their presence remains impressive.
We also sought out the dragon’s egg – a huge stone nestling into the side of the Tor where no stone should be. It felt warm and suede-like. Beneath it three hawthorn trees were festooned in ribbons. I added a Gobnait’s Measure.
St Edith’s Well, Castle Park, Bristol
Back in Bristol, this well took me a while to find. I knew it was in Castle park and the day was fine, people enjoying lounging around on the grass. I passed by it several times and this is why – it’s covered over and fenced in.
One of the oldest wells in the city, it was first recorded in 1391 when it was described as the Eddywell or St Edith’s well. In 1484 a stone castelette and cross was erected over it, this was a fine Gothic pinnacle. The well was rebuilt in 1633 and a pump introduced whereupon it became known as St Peter’s Pump – St Peter’s church is very close by. By 1733 it was becoming a hindrance to the increasing traffic and the pinnacle was eventually dismantled, ending up in Stourhead Park in 1768, Wiltshire, where it remains today.
In 1887 the well was closed due to sewerage contamination and was finally covered over with railway sleepers in 1992 for safety reasons. In 2016 Wessex Archaeology was called in to excavate the well. Excavations revealed a deep stone-lined well some 10m in depth.
After the excavation the well was restored – the stone work was repointed, signage erected and the entrance covered by transparent toughened glass. It was officially opened by the Duke of Kent and blessed by Bishop Viv Faull on April 2nd 2019, and how smart it looked.
Sadly the well is now out of bounds, closed since 2023, its attractive plaque almost hidden,
Yet, judging by the flowers tied to the barricade, it is still appreciated by some. Time for a rebirth.
Incidentally, St Edith of Wilton (959-975AD) was a royal princess, daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful and St Wulfthryth, who shortly after her marriage took herself off to a nunnery. Edith chose a life of piety yet continued to wear fine clothes (with a hair shirt underneath)! She was well educated, unstinting in her work towards the poor, turned down an offer of the throne when it became available and on her death, had a thumb which did not decompose! King Cnut did not believe she was a saint and when he opened up her tomb folklore relates that her body rose up and struck him! He quickly changed his mind and endowed her nunnery!
The Pipe Well
Conduits and pipes once played a major part in the history of Bristol’s’ water supply and a rare survivor hints at the appreciation of this fresh water. A beautifully wrought lion’s head lies just outside St Mary’s Church, Redcliffe, and marks the end of what is known as the Pipe Walk.
Sadly the font is now dry but the the Pipe Walk still takes place every year and follows the ancient pipe as it brought the precious water from the Ruge/Huge Well on Knowle Hill on its almost two mile journey through south Bristol to St Mary’s Redcliffe. Today it travels through gardens and allotments and Victoria Path where there is a water labyrinth erected in 1984 by Wessex Water. This ceremony has been going on since 1190 when the pipe was laid and is a thanksgiving ritual, fresh water as essential then as it’s ever been. I had hoped to walk the walk myself but ran out of time. Although I didn’t see the water labyrinth I did see the roof boss in the church which inspired it.
St Mary’s Redcliffe is currently hosting an exhibition on the Pipe Walk (on until October 2024) and their excellent website tells you all you might need to know.
Loved seeing all those English wells. And learning the word scorbutic. But deeply disappointed you could not provide images of the naked men in the White Spring.
There were a lot of interesting things going on in there! A good variety of wells to be had.
Thanks..lovely to look forward to visiting..in time..
An area full of interesting things!