The
spring is housed inside the largest and most impressive well house in Cornwall.
Situated near to the border of the county, the sixteenth century chapel
is imposingly constructed from large grey granite blocks. The roof is made
from long stones laid to run the length of the building, and overlapping
one another. Roughly decorated turrets adorn each corner, and above the
entrance is a phallic steeple-like structure which proudly pierces the
sky above. A single window with two lights punctuates the eastern wall
allowing the morning sun to fill the chapel with a golden glow. The clear
water itself rises within the chapel where it is fed through a low stone
trough.
Said
to have been erected over the spring by the monks of St. Germans in 1510,
the chapel was rediscovered in a state of disrepair by a local antiquarian,
the Reverend H. M. Price. The good reverend then set about restoring the
structure to the excellent state that can be seen today. There can be little
doubt that the waters here were revered for many years before the spring
was sanctified with a formal chapel.
Legend
tells of a duel between two rival suitors for the hand of a Saxon maiden.
Gotlieb, a wealthy gentleman was the preferred choice of the lady's father,
whilst the fair maiden herself loved the poor knight, Sir Colan. The fight
was long and arduous, but eventually Gotlieb was slain. Sir Colan then
set about building the well to atone for his sins. Unfortunately, he too
fell victim to a mortal wound inflicted during the epic fight. Cheryl Straffon
likens this romantic legend to tales of Sovereignity where the lords of
summer and winter fight over the Goddess of spring and the Land.
Interestingly,
the caretakers of the site, English Heritage, have erected a plaque acknowledging
the well to be a pre-Christian shrine. Even though this well is in a field
next to the farmhouse, and not far from busy trunk roads, it is a remarkably
peaceful place to spend some time. The late afternoon sun is perfectly
placed to highlight the impressive facade of the chapel. Like i said, the
most impressive of its type in the county.
