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How and why the ancients enchanted Great Britain and Brittany

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<< Our Photo Pages >> St Walstan's Well - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Norfolk

Submitted by HOLYWELL on Tuesday, 29 August 2006  Page Views: 12491

Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: St Walstan's Well
Country: England
NOTE: This site is 4.279 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Norfolk Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Norwich  Nearest Village: Bawburgh
Map Ref: TG15350878
Latitude: 52.634018N  Longitude: 1.180952E
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
4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 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.
5 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
4

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St Walstan's Well
St Walstan's Well submitted by HOLYWELL : St Walstan's Well, Bawburgh (Vote or comment on this photo)
This well has been the pilgrimage goal of many agriculturalists over the nine centuries of its existence and lies not inappropriately in an orchard, a suitable site for a site connected with so-called "farm hand" saint. It is recorded that after resting at Costessey this funeral procession continued and once crossing the Yare, at Bawburgh, they again halted here, and here the third and final spring arose, and its most noted.

The saint's body was transferred through a special opening made in the north wall of the church and this arch can still be seen, now blocked up. His shrine was then established in the north transept of the Parish church of St Mary the Virgin, since then known as St Mary and St Walstan, as a separate chapel. The saint was canonised by the diocesan Bishop, who visited the site, with a large procession of priests, and hearing of his holiness:
‘The bishop gave an ear and hearkened sore,
And allowed him a Saint evermore.’

From this point on the well and its shrine was the goal of pilgrims, first from neighbouring villages, and then from Norwich (along Earlham Green Lane), and then after the news of its powers spread across England from farther afield. In particular farmers would bring their sick animals to the well to have them cured. In fact the well and shrine were so popular that a college of priests were established to control and administer the large numbers of pilgrims.

Unfortunately as with most shrines the Reformation had a destructive effect, and the shrine was dismantled, its relics scattered over the fields and lost forever.

Yet despite this wanton destruction St Walstan's Well continued to be visited, and even through the Commonwealth period, superstitious farmers would visit the well collecting its healing waters for their sick animals. With the return of Catholicism the well saw new pilgrimage and religious pilgrims only begun to return en masse to the well in the 19th Century.
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St Walstan's Well
St Walstan's Well submitted by hamstermoon : The church of St Mary and St Walstan has a round tower, as is typical of early churches in this part of Norfolk. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

St Walstan's Well
St Walstan's Well submitted by hamstermoon : The well stands in a field below the church all situated in the bend of a stream. (Vote or comment on this photo)

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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
TG1508 : The churchyard of St Mary & St Walstan church by Evelyn Simak
by Evelyn Simak
©2008(licence)
TG1508 : St Walstan's well in Bawburgh by Evelyn Simak
by Evelyn Simak
©2010(licence)
TG1508 : Bawburgh Mill by Stephen McKay
by Stephen McKay
©2020(licence)
TG1508 : Bawburgh: The River Yare by Michael Garlick
by Michael Garlick
©2018(licence)
TG1508 : Church Farm by Evelyn Simak
by Evelyn Simak
©2008(licence)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 2.2km NE 44° Roundwell* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TG168104)
 6.5km ESE 117° Eaton Heath Barrow Cemetery (TG21280605)
 7.7km E 95° Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery* Museum (TG231085)
 8.7km SW 216° St Thomas's Well (Wymondham)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TG10550146)
 9.1km ESE 110° Arminghall Henge* Henge (TG240060)
 9.3km SE 128° Venta Icenorum* Ancient Village or Settlement (TG230034)
 9.6km NNE 22° Horsford Woods Barrow Cemetary* Barrow Cemetery (TG18571780)
 9.8km NNW 347° Alderford Common Barrow Round Barrow(s) (TG12751828)
 10.0km NNW 339° The Warren Barrow Round Barrow(s) (TG11371798)
 13.6km SSE 162° Tasburgh Fort* Hillfort (TM201960)
 15.7km NNW 337° Pettywell* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TG086230)
 16.0km NNE 11° Maiden's Head* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TG178246)
 17.2km WNW 288° St Withburga's Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TF9865213305)
 20.8km NW 311° North Elmham Chapel* Ancient Temple (TF9888121640)
 21.6km WNW 292° St Agnes Well, Longham* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (TF94831586)
 23.2km SW 219° Gallows Hill Tumulus Round Barrow(s) (TM01419019)
 24.5km SSW 214° Vikings Mound* Artificial Mound (TM02678781)
 25.3km NE 52° Devil's Ditch Ancient Trackway (TG347252)
 25.8km SE 135° Broome Heath Long Barrow Long Barrow (TM344913)
 26.2km W 265° Devil's Dyke (Norfolk)* Misc. Earthwork (TF8934705200)
 26.4km SE 139° Druid's Stone (Bungay)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (TM3366689739)
 27.0km SSE 149° Flixton Park Quarry Timber Circle (TM303863)
 27.2km SE 124° Stockton Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (TM386946)
 27.3km SW 227° Larling Heath Tumulus Round Barrow(s) (TL96268912)
 27.5km NW 304° Whissonsett wheel-head cross* Ancient Cross (TF91922334)
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"St Walstan's Well" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment
  
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Re: St Walstan's Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 06 December 2015
A place I played as a child, later married at the church in 1985. Fond memories.
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