<< Our Photo Pages >> Dripping Well (Barnstaple) - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Devon
Submitted by AngieLake on Sunday, 23 July 2017 Page Views: 5539
Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: Dripping Well (Barnstaple) Alternative Name: Dripping Well BarnstapleCountry: England County: Devon Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Barnstaple Nearest Village: Fremington
Map Ref: SS546327
Latitude: 51.075154N Longitude: 4.076889W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
Be the first person to rate this site - see the 'Contribute!' box in the right hand menu.
Internal Links:
External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
hallsifer would like to visit
Moose visited on 26th Jul 2021 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 Lovely walk today down through anchor woods, I noticed the archway and immediately wished I knew what it was exactly. Was it a tunnel that had been filled in? Was it some kind of satanic alter?
After a small google search I found this website with the answer to my question
Never would have guessed that it’s a well!
Very cool indeed.
geoffstickland have visited here
Recorded on Devon and Dartmoor HER as a Holy Well.
Full description
Polwhele, R., 1793 - 1806, The History of Devonshire (Monograph). SDV21030.
Ordnance Survey, 1880 - 1899, First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.
Dripping Well recording on 1880s-1890s 25 inch Ordnance Survey map, at the eastern end of Anchor Wood, adjacent to the boundary between the parishes of Fremington and Barnstaple.
Brown, T., 1957, Holy and Notable Wells of Devon, 209 (Article in Serial). SDV304810.
A possible holy well exists an Anchor Wood near Barnstaple Harbour, noted for curing eye complaints.
ASI Heritage Consultants, 2000, Leaderflush and Shapland Site, Barnstaple: Archaeological Assessment (Report - Assessment). SDV70999.
Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.
Map object based on this source.
Goodwin, N. D., 25/07/1989, Dripping Well in Anchor Wood (Worksheet). SDV92636.
According to Polwhele, at 'Anchor Wood, which overhangs the Taw a short way below Barnstaple Bridge (towards the mouth of the harbour) a spring of most excellent water issues from a large rock, and is said to possess great virgues as a collyriam [technical term for an eyewash]. It constangly runs both summer and winter, and through close to the flowing of the salt tide, is not in the least brackish'. Site visit 25th July 1989. A pointed arch reveals water dripping from a rock. Dress red stone forming a wall with protruding pillars either side. Castellated top. Date 18-65. it is said there were initials, B R?, standing for Boucher Wrey. These stones are now gone. [Copied and pasted from Heritage Gateway website online]. Click here for more information.
Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Unknown, SS53SW6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV92632.
Site visit 20th April 1971. The dripping well comprises an ooze issuing from ground level to about 2.0 metres up a sandstone bluff. The area has been given a brick surround with stone revetting framing the brickwork. It appears to be no earlier than the 19th century and is know locally as a form of folly. There is now no tradition of medicinal properties.
Note: Have you visited this site? Do you have any information, images or photographs you can add?
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.
Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.
Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
The above images may not be of the site on this page, they are loaded from Geograph.
Please Submit an Image of this site or go out and take one for us!
Click here to see more info for this site
Nearby sites
Click here to view sites on an interactive OS mapKey: Red: member's photo, Blue: 3rd party photo, Yellow: other image, Green: no photo - please go there and take one, Grey: site destroyed
Download sites to:
KML (Google Earth)
GPX (GPS waypoints)
CSV (Garmin/Navman)
CSV (Excel)
To unlock full downloads you need to sign up as a Contributory Member. Otherwise downloads are limited to 50 sites.
Turn off the page maps and other distractions
Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
1.3km ENE 76° Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon* Museum (SS5586732983)
1.7km NNE 24° Pilton Long Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SS55313421)
1.8km NNE 32° Ladywell (Pilton)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SS556342)
3.0km SSE 165° Holy Well (Tawstock)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SS553298)
3.4km NE 41° Burridge Camp Ancient Village or Settlement (SS569352)
5.5km W 270° Yelland* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SS4912532889)
7.5km NW 307° St. Brannoc's Holy Well (Braunton)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SS487374)
8.0km NW 312° Knowle Castle* Hillfort (SS488383)
10.0km N 357° Centery Farm Tumuli* Barrow Cemetery (SS543427)
10.7km ENE 73° Stoke Rivers fort* Ancient Village or Settlement (SS649356)
11.1km N 10° Berry Down Barrow Cemetery (SS569436)
11.6km SSW 204° Berry Castle (Huntshaw Wood)* Hillfort (SS49502228)
11.7km SE 127° St. Urith's well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SS638255)
11.8km SE 144° Brightley Barton Camp Hillfort (SS6124822911)
11.9km WNW 300° St Helen's Well (Croyde)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SS4440538970)
12.0km NNE 19° Mattocks Down Barrow* Long Barrow (SS589439)
12.1km WSW 253° Shell Middens at Westward Ho!* Ancient Village or Settlement (SS429294)
12.4km NNE 24° Mattocks Down Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SS60084388)
12.4km ENE 74° Mockham Down Camp* Hillfort (SS66683582)
12.5km NNE 24° Mattocks Down Stone Row Stone Row / Alignment (SS6004643921)
12.5km NNE 25° Mattocks Down circle Stone Circle (SS602439)
12.5km NNE 26° Higher Mattocks Down stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SS60344387)
14.3km NW 323° Greystone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SS46354443)
14.3km NNW 338° Whitestone (Lee)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SS49564613)
14.4km NE 40° Blackmoor Gate Barrows Barrow Cemetery (SS642434)
View more nearby sites and additional images