<< Our Photo Pages >> Tommy Stout's Well (Thornley Gate) - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Northumberland
Submitted by Anne T on Tuesday, 01 January 2019 Page Views: 1241
Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: Tommy Stout's Well (Thornley Gate)Country: England
NOTE: This site is 1.0 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Northumberland Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Allenbanks Nearest Village: Catton / Thornley Gate
Map Ref: NY83065661
Latitude: 54.903920N Longitude: 2.265708W
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 |
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Anne T visited on 1st Jan 2019 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Tommy Stout's Well, Thornley Gate: Another site ticked off the list of Isaac’sTea Trail. This is obviously a popular spot for walkers, as there are paths both sides of the river, and we passed a number of dog walkers. The small layby on the south side of the river was full (2 cars), so we parked on the grass verge by the entrance to the Allen Smelt Mill.
The well is through the kissing gate on the opposite side of the road from the smelt mill gate, with the well some 15m further on, to your left hand side.
Water appears out of the hillside below a small protruding dressed stone, largely hidden by moss and lichen. There is a fair flow of clear water which comes out; I did taste it, but there was nothing really to taste. Above the simple, dressed stone well head with drain there is a marshy area in the field above, from which the source of the water appears to come. Between the well and the kissing gate, on the other side of the fence, is a stunning little stream with a mini waterfall, which is a different water course to that of the well.
Also being interested in some industrial archaeology, we spent some time wandering around the fascinating remains of the smelting works opposite. There is still quite a lot left, and it is left accessible for visitors. Some of the underground flues are currently being excavated.
Marked on the OS map, this well can be found just west of the B6295 and south west of the River East Allen, opposite the site of the Allen Smelt Mill (now partly renovated as a small business park).
To find this well, from the southern end of Catton, the roads diverge with the B6303 heading south east towards Allendale Town and the B6295 heading south towards Thornley Gate. Take the B6295 and continue along the road until you cross the bridge over the River East Allen. The well is immediately at the south western end of the bridge, where a small layby allows parking for two cars. A small kissing gate gives access to a path at the southern side of the river. The well is approx. 15-20m west of the gate.
The well is part of a small dressed stone wall to the left of the path. At the time of our visit, a steady stream of clear water issued from underneath a small dressed stone which protruded from the wall, draining into a very small basin and modern drain. The "Isaac's Tea Trail" booklet tells us the well was probably named after a manager of the smelt mill, but the site of the well looks far older. Above the well is a hill with a marshy area above. It looks as if water collects into this marshy area, then is piped out into the well basin below.
I am currently trying to find out more information from the Newcastle Antiquarian's records to confirm this as a holy well. For slightly more information see Pastscape Monument No. 958098.
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