Cornwall - Menacuddle Well

Menacuddle Well, Cornwall

The well house narrowly missed by the B3274 above

Menacuddle well is nestled under a high bank which supports the road N from St. Austell, a major town in the heart of china clay country. But situated as it is in a green refuge below the road, surrounded by trees and rhododendron bushes, beside a gentle stream and a waterfall, it is an age away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. The small granite well house was originally built in the late fifteenth century and restored by Sir Charles Graves Sawle in 1922. A Gothic archway leads into the peaceful sanctuary where the crystal clear water springs forth, in glaring contrast to the milky white, china clay tainted water flowing in the river beside it. In the Middle Ages, the most important chapel in the area adjoined this well house, although no trace of it now remains. Because of its proximity to the road, it is a marvel that the current structure survives at all. The well house butts tightly against the twenty foot high wall in a defiant gesture against the road builders and town planners. Once again, the water here was held in great esteem for its curative powers. Sickly children were regularly bathed here, and Victorian matrons would recommend the drinking of its "salubrious fluid". It was also used to treat ulcers. It was considered prudent to throw a crooked pin into the waters in order to ensure good fortune. Local lore tells us that on doing so, pins thrown into the well by previous pilgrims would rise up and meet the newcomer before it reached the bottom. Today, coins are offered in place of pins. Craig Weatherhill believes that Menauddle derives from the late Cornish mena gothall meaning "hillside with a thicket". Cheryl Straffon, on the other hand, suggests that the word Menacuddle may derive from mena, meaning sanctuary, and St. Guidel, an unknown saint. This is certainly a fitting derivation as there is a very calming atmosphere here. The road and town may as well be a million miles away if you are sat in the park or in the inner sanctum of the well house itself. It's as if all of the veneration that this site has attracted over the generations forms a protecting veil of tranquility around the site. The setting is as evocative as its name suggests.

O.S.G.R.:	SX 011 533 (203).
Location:	1 mile NE of Trewoon, 1 mile NW of St. Austell.
Directions:	Take the B3274 N from St. Austell to Bodmin. The road goes under a railway bridge shortly after which an unmarked drive forks of on the left. Drive down & park by the grassed area. A footbridge spans the river leading to the well house nestled under the high bank.

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