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

Submitted by JimChampion on Saturday, 30 August 2008  Page Views: 18853

Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: St Levan's Well
Country: England County: Cornwall Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: St. Just  Nearest Village: Porthcurno
Map Ref: SW38082193  Landranger Map Number: 203
Latitude: 50.039745N  Longitude: 5.659362W
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.
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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I have visited· I would like to visit

TheCaptain visited on 14th Jun 2023 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 After lunch I head back to Porthgwarra for a drink at the café, then on around the cliffs to Porth Chapel, where St Levan's well sits prominently above the beach. This used to be the way down past the chapel, but the path is falling down into the sea, so is no longer the through route. There is a little chapel building beside the little well, with water in it even after a hot dry month. I head round and then down to Porth Chapel beach, where I clearly remember having heatstroke back in the 1960s when I was about 7. I still remember that hurt and my brainfog, in my red hat with my plastic boat in the rock pool fed by the stream. Its still there, exactly as I remember it, despite having never been back since then. Up above the beach can be seen the remains of the chapel, which has recently been stabilised and excavated, with a little exhibition in St Levan's church. Its not easy to get down onto this beautiful beach, having to clamber down the cliffs. Quite how we did this all those years ago as a family with all the stuff we would have taken is beyond me!

Catrinm visited on 14th Jul 2020 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3

lucasn visited on 21st Jul 2018 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 3

JimChampion hamish cazzyjane have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.33 Ambience: 4.67 Access: 3

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by enkidu41 : The well from the south. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Situated on the southern coast of Cornwall, above the beach at Porth Chapel: this is probably the most spectacularly placed well in Cornwall.

The site was first recorded by Borlase in the mid-18th century, when it had a roof. The undressed stonework has been compared to a typical 'Cornish hedge'. More recently the well has been restored by the addition of a protective wall on the northern side.

Water from the well is still sometimes used for baptisms, but in times gone by it was believed to cure toothache and eye diseases. Sleeping at the well increased the chances of a cure; given the tiny size of the well this wouldn't have been very comfortable.

There is an associated chapel (recorded in the place name "Porth Chapel") not far below the well, reputedly where St Selevan himself lived. The stone steps down to the chapel were excavated in the 1930s and are still in use, mainly for access to the sandy beach. The chapel's two small rooms were built on platforms cut into the cliff face and could date from the eighth century, making it the oldest Christian building in Cornwall.

Access The well can be reached only on foot, either by the coastal path (between Porthcurno and Porthgwarra), or by a footpath from St Levan church to Porth Chapel beach.

References
  • Susan Hoyle, The Church of St Levan: A Guide & History, Hypatia Publications, Penzance, 2007.
  • Craig Weatherhill, Belerion: Ancient Sits of Land's End, Alison Hodge, Penzance, 1981.

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St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Bladup : St Levan's Well. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by cazzyjane : St Levan's well. Looking out over an unusually calm sea. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by TheCaptain : The view from what remains of the old path down to the beach beside the well. The remains of the chapel are lower left, where the emergency rescue post is positioned. What a fabulous place on a good day. (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : Photo taken in 2010 (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by lucasn : St Levan's well at Porthchapel. In a nice place overlooking the sea (Vote or comment on this photo)

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Bladup : St Levan's Well

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Bladup : The view of the beach from just below the chapel

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Bladup : St Levan's Well, Excavation has proved that the Well fed the Chapel with water and that the chapel had 3 separate rooms

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by TheCaptain : Looking back west from Pedn-mên-an-mere headland. The chapel and wellhouse can be seen above the beach on the right

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by TheCaptain : Below the well and above the beach can be seen the remains of the chapel, which has recently been stabilised and excavated as it is falling into the sea. There is currently a little exhibition in St Levan's church.

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by TheCaptain : Below the well and above the beach can be seen the remains of the chapel, which has recently been stabilised and excavated. There is currently a little exhibition in St Levan's church. Its not easy to get down onto this beautiful beach, having to clamber down the cliffs. Quite how we did this all those years ago as a family with all the stuff we would have taken is beyond me!

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by TheCaptain : Looking inland. The well, to the right side, has water in it even after a hot dry month.

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by TheCaptain : The well house atop the cliffs, in its gorgeous setting. Note the old footpath down to the chapel and beach has been closed for some years, due to cliff falls

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : Photo taken in 2010

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : Close up of well, 2010

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : The well cell, 2010

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : Chapel remains at the base of the cliff, 2010 (2 comments)

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : View looking inland, 2010

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : The path from the well to the beach, 2010

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : The pretty well overlooking beautiful Porth Chapel Cove beach in 2010. Porth Chapel was named after St Levan’s Chapel and is one of Cornwalls many Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Antonine : The well, 2010

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Bladup : Porth Chapel from the West

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Bladup : Porth Chapel from the East

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by Bladup : St Levan's chapel under excavation, Notice the massive wedged end/wall stone on the right and it's steep hillside position, This chapel is not far below the well

St Levan's Well
St Levan's Well submitted by hoya105 : View from the well

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"St Levan's Well" | Login/Create an Account | 7 News and Comments
  
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Re: St Levan's Well by TheCaptain on Monday, 24 July 2023
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See here for report of 2021 rescue excavation
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St Levan's Well by lucasn on Friday, 10 August 2018
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St Levan's Well by Anonymous on Wednesday, 08 August 2018
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Re: St Levan's Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 31 August 2008
i hesitate to say this but i take unction with the statement that st levens is the oldest christian church in cornwall i believe st just in roseland might have that distinction

tommy veale in canada
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    Re: St Levan's Well by JimChampion on Sunday, 31 August 2008
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    It (the St Levan chapel, not the church) "could date from the 8th century". It's not radioactive dating though: there's a huge margin of error.
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: St Levan's Well by AngieLake on Sunday, 12 November 2006
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The holy well of St Levan and the Baptistry lie beside the footpath leading from the road to Porthchapel Beach. They are connected to the small Chapel on the cliff edge further down by a flight of about fifty stone steps.
The existence of these steps had been known for many years, but they were uncovered as a result of excavations in 1931 by the Rev. H.T. Valentine and Dr Vernon Favell.
Water from the Holy Well is still used for Baptisms in the Parish Church.

(Info from the leaflet on sale in the church.)
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Re: St Levan's Well by AngieLake on Sunday, 12 November 2006
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A sad story about the saint is attached to this well.
Apparently St Levan, whose ancestors came from Ireland, was named after his great-uncle, St Solomon (in the Celtic tongue - St Selevan - now corrupted to St Levan), and was born in the 6th century at Boslevan, east of St Buryan. He travelled to, and lived at, Bodellan, by the Port of Cornwall - now Porthcurno - and built a chapelry on the site of the present church above Porth Levan, or Porthchapel, as it is called today.
He built a cell near a well now named after him. One day he caught two chad, or sea-bream, upon which his nieces choked. It was on his walk to his cell from Bodellan, when the confrontation with Johana took place. After this, no child has been baptised with that name at the church.
(The stories are told in more detail in the 'History of St Levan Church'.)

The above information comes from the leaflet on sale in the church.
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