- Joined
- Aug 19, 2001
- Messages
- 273
BRILLIANT! That's it... many thanks!
Pilgrims flock to 'healing' well
About 1,000 pilgrims are expected at a Christian shrine in north Wales which has been attracting visitors since the 7th Century.
Last year, people from as far away as New Zealand came to St Winefride's Well in Holywell, which is said to have healing powers.
The legend of the well tells how a local chieftain beheaded the maiden Winefride after she rejected him.
A spring is then said to have risen from where her head fell.
According to legend, where Winefride's head had fallen, "the stones surrounding the fountain were stained forever with her blood, and the blood falling in the water coloured also the moss that grows there and which has the perfume of frankincense, though some say of violets."
St Winefride's is the only site which has remained an unbroken destination for pilgrims, with the others having been disturbed by Henry VIII.
It is also said to be the finest example in Britain of a medieval holy well, and, of course, it gave the local town its name.
Pilgrims will walk to the shrine from Wells Street on Sunday afternoon, followed by an open-air mass, and a benediction and veneration of a statue of St Winefride.
The well is regarded both as one of the seven wonders of Wales, and as the nation's equivalent of Lourdes.
The well's biggest crisis was in 1917 when it ran dry.
It was a result of tunnelling by a lead mining company which drained the water into the river Dee, but supplies were restored later that year when another underground stream was diverted.
A wicker doll tied above a Black Country landmark has left locals puzzled. It is thought that the Sand Well, in the heart of Sandwell Valley, may have been targeted for a pagan or cult ritual.
Yesterday the doll was found hanging from the branch of a tree which was over the top of the well.
Inside the well were a number of candles that appeared to have been used in the ceremony. Imbolc is seen as one of cornerstones of the Celtic calendar and it centres around the lighting of fires. The Imbolc ceremony took place February 1 & 2.
Site of pagan well to be restored
One of Wales' oldest wells, thought to be a pagan site rededicated by early Christians, is to be restored.
Ffynnon Rhedyw in Llanllyfni, near Caernarfon, is believed to be older than nearby St Rhedyw's church, which dates from 600AD.
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust hopes the project will set a precedent for similar projects around Wales.
A public meeting will be held at Llanllyfni Memorial Hall on 17 November (1830 GMT) to show villagers the plans.
"This site is an interesting example of a class of little-understood monuments which are numerous across Wales, but which are often overlooked," said David Thompson, the trust's head of heritage management.
"We hope it will set a precedent for future, similar, projects which seek to record and present local heritage," he added.
The well's restoration is one part of plans by the community group Menter Llyfni, which hopes to create a network of footpaths in the area to commemorate important people or events from the past.
Pagan site
Ffynnon Rhedyw's footpath would run from the church, through the cemetery, to the well site on nearby land.
A notice board will provide information on the well's background.
Llanllyfni Church is dedicated to Saint Rhedyw. No early written history exists, but there is a strong tradition that either he was born in the area or that he founded the first Christian church there.
St Rhedyw's feast day is 6 July, when Llanllyfni Fair is still held each year.
"Llanllyfni was an important pagan site, and pilgrims used to stop here on the way to Bardsey island," said Menter Llyfni chairman O P Huws.
"I only discovered where exactly the well was about two years ago. It was very moving seeing the water come up from the ground," he said.
Mr Huws thinks the well will be an attraction both locally and to the many tourists who visit the region.
"It is very exciting that we have secured the funds to, at least, begin the restoration of this site," he added.
Resident Julie Williams, 33, whose Glanaber Terrace home is close to the village church, said: "I think it's a lovely idea to create a footpath and refurbish the well.
"It's especially interesting for the children in the village to know more about the history of the place."
The village of Llanllyfni itself has many other less ancient wells.
Mrs Williams' parents' home in the village was originally a bakery which used water for the baking from its own well. The original village well, Y Pistyll Bach (small spring) was situated over the road from their house.
"Later on the route from Ffynnon Rhedyw could be extended to include these other smaller wells, to preserve the village history for future generations," said Mrs Williams.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/w ... 439484.stm
Published: 2005/11/16 13:16:02 GMT
'Magical' St Ann's Well in Nottingham to be excavated
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-no ... e-16654628
A spired structure was on the site of St Ann's Well from 1856 to 1887
Related Stories
Pub dig over buried elephant tale
John Player archive to go online
A site of historical significance in Nottingham is to be excavated by a team of archaeologists.
St Ann's Well, a spring once thought to have magical healing powers, lent its name to the city's St Ann's area.
Remains, if any exist, could be under The Gardeners pub which has been demolished to make way for housing.
Gordon Young, archaeologist for Nottingham City Council, considers the site to be of huge local, if not national, significance.
'Big party'
Mr Young said: "It think it is potentially a very important site, and historically it's not just me that thought it was important.
"On Black Monday, which is Easter Monday, the people of Nottingham used to walk to St Ann's Well and have a big party up there, but we don't know why they did it.
"In the middle of St Ann's housing estate is a site that once had great significance.
"It would surprise people that something like that is under the car park of The Gardeners pub."
Mr Young added that, despite its name, St Ann's Well was not a typical well.
"We need to get away from the idea of thinking it was a well of the type you put a bucket into to get water out."
The Gardeners pub site is to be turned into housing once the dig has been completed
Last year developers submitted a planning application to build houses on the site of the derelict pub, at the junction of Wells Road and Kildare Road.
The application was deferred after ward councillors said they wanted the importance of the site to be acknowledged.
Nottingham City Council has now granted outline planning permission on the condition that an excavation is carried out before housing is built.
An archaeological desk-based assessment, produced by the University of Leicester ahead of the excavation, said St Ann's Well was a medieval healing spring.
'Pleasure ground'
It was recorded in 1301 as The Brodewell and in other historical references it was called the Owswell or Robin Hood's Well.
The spring was appropriated by monks who built a chapel adjacent to the well and dedicated the site to St Ann, the assessment said.
The Gardeners pub was demolished this month
There are 17th Century records of an annual Easter procession to the well made by the Mayor of Nottingham, aldermen and local officials, accompanied by musicians.
The spring gradually took on more of a secular appeal, the assessment said, becoming "a sort of pleasure ground and public house for the amusement of the local population" by the 19th Century.
A Gothic-like spired structure stood on the site from 1856 to 1887, when it was demolished to make way for the Nottingham Suburban Railway which remained in use until 1954.
The site is expected to be excavated later this year.
TheQuixote said:Pilgrims flock to 'healing' well
About 1,000 pilgrims are expected at a Christian shrine in north Wales which has been attracting visitors since the 7th Century.
Last year, people from as far away as New Zealand came to St Winefride's Well in Holywell, which is said to have healing powers.
The legend of the well tells how a local chieftain beheaded the maiden Winefride after she rejected him.
A spring is then said to have risen from where her head fell.
According to legend, where Winefride's head had fallen, "the stones surrounding the fountain were stained forever with her blood, and the blood falling in the water coloured also the moss that grows there and which has the perfume of frankincense, though some say of violets."
St Winefride's is the only site which has remained an unbroken destination for pilgrims, with the others having been disturbed by Henry VIII.
It is also said to be the finest example in Britain of a medieval holy well, and, of course, it gave the local town its name.
Pilgrims will walk to the shrine from Wells Street on Sunday afternoon, followed by an open-air mass, and a benediction and veneration of a statue of St Winefride.
The well is regarded both as one of the seven wonders of Wales, and as the nation's equivalent of Lourdes.
The well's biggest crisis was in 1917 when it ran dry.
It was a result of tunnelling by a lead mining company which drained the water into the river Dee, but supplies were restored later that year when another underground stream was diverted.
BBCi News 27/06/04
Downer said the well’s water came from the Fleet river, now covered by roads.
What, are you claiming it cured you of poor eyesight?I treated myself to an excellent book from Amazon a couple of years ago -
Britain's Holiest Places by Nick Mayhew Smith. It has everything you would ever want to know about Christian and pre-Christian sites with a spiritual vibe about them. One of the last I visited was this miraculous well a few miles from home:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunsfold
I did splash a few drops of water on my eyes and still don't need glasses!