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<< Our Photo Pages >> Hollinshead Holy Well - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Lancashire

Submitted by Holywell on Monday, 31 October 2022  Page Views: 21609

Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: Hollinshead Holy Well
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 1.023 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Lancashire Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Blackburn  Nearest Village: Tockholes
Map Ref: SD66361994
Latitude: 53.674838N  Longitude: 2.510702W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
3 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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cactus_chris visited on 1st Sep 2020 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 3

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by cactus_chris : 20200901--Hollingshead Hall Well House, Tockholes, Lancashire (Vote or comment on this photo)
This is probably the largest holy well in the county but little is known regarding it. Some authorities believe that its present structure is due to the Catholic family, the Radcliffes who lived nearby and the well bears their coat of arms. It was used as a secret baptistry and mass centre (some say disguised as a dairy!). This dates the present structure to the 1680s. The site is older than this and just above the well house is an oval pool. This is lined with ancient stones and full of water.

The water was used in recent times for eye problems and was according to the author Twycross visited by pilgrims. More recently in the 1980s a welldressing occured here.

The well house with its vaulted ceiling and tiled roof is in good order despite its remote location. Unfortunately the wooden door is locked but one can peer into the gloom through the barred windows. Inside the water issues through a rather mysterious looking lion's head. It then fills a small pool below and side troughs. The area around this very boggy and springs appear to arise just below the walling.

The well can be seen from the road out of Abbey Village to Bolton and a footpath leads directly to it but it is near on impossible to park safely here. A longer if slightly more boggy and harder walk can be obtained from the car park on the Tockholes road where it is signed Hollinshead Hall.

The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) also features a page for this site - see their entry for Holy Well, Hollinshead Hall, Tockholes, Lancashire which also gives directions for finding this well together with photographs and a brief archaeology & history and local folklore. The Journal of Antiquities also includes an entry for Hollinshead Holy Well, Near Abbey Village, Lancashire which includes a photograph, a drawing, directions for finding this well, background information and a list of reference sources for more information. The JoA debates the origins of the well, asking if it is Pagan or Catholic? Reportedly, it contains the waters of five separate springs, "indicating the presence of the water goddess".

More information on the Hall, with its grotto and well, can be found on Pastscape Monument No. 43376.

Additional information and research by Anne T.
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Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by Gibbo : Another internal shot taken 16/10/16 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett : Hollinshead Well House. The water source is higher than the house, with a pool just behind it. Water flows from there, some inside the house and through it, some either side, one of these was once a very deliberate channel. The house was locked on my visit on 11th August 2022, but views are still visible through two side windows, and a central high window to the read of the house. It is possible t... (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by Runemage : Exterior shot of the wellhouse. Copyright S Stamford / Splendid Photography (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by Gibbo : Photo taken 16/10/16. Had a good camera which took advantage of the low light from the locked building. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by HOLYWELL : Hollinshead Holy well, the view to the haunted ruins of the Hall.

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett : Hollinshead Well House. The water source is higher than the house, with a pool just behind it. Water flows from there, some inside the house and through it, some either side, one of these was once a very deliberate channel. The house was locked on my visit on 11th August 2022, but views are still visible through two side windows, and a central high window to the read of the house. It is possible t...

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by TimPrevett

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by Runemage : Interior shot Copyright S Stamford / Splendid Photography

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by Runemage : Interior shot showing the eroded lion's head and surrounding pillars. Copyright S Stamford / Splendid Photography

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by Runemage : Atmospheric interior shot Copyright S Stamford / Splendid Photography

Hollinshead Holy Well
Hollinshead Holy Well submitted by Gibbo : Internal shot taken 16/10/16

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"Hollinshead Holy Well" | Login/Create an Account | 3 News and Comments
  
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Hollinshead Holy Well - Video by TimPrevett on Wednesday, 07 September 2022
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Thanks to LivingRocks for pointing out this amazing site to me over a year ago; I got to visit it on 11th August, and have put this video of the visit on my YouTube Channel:
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Re: Hollinshead Holy Well by Sunny100 on Monday, 13 May 2019
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Up-dated the NGR to SD 66361994.
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Re: Hollinshead Holy Well by Anonymous on Wednesday, 09 April 2008
Quite a few years ago, the door was always open. Although the water is supposed to flow through the lion's head, and would have done at one time, it no longer does, but finds another way down into the troughs at either side. The notice board, put up in recent years, informs us that the source of the water is from 5 springs, making it a pagan site.
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