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<< Our Photo Pages >> Wizard's Well - Holy Well or Sacred Spring in England in Cheshire

Submitted by vicky on Monday, 29 March 2004  Page Views: 39478

Springs and Holy WellsSite Name: Wizard's Well
Country: England County: Cheshire Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Nearest Town: Wilmslow  Nearest Village: Alderley Edge
Map Ref: SJ858778  Landranger Map Number: 118
Latitude: 53.296962N  Longitude: 2.214511W
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.
 4 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
 3

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External Links:

Wizard's Well
Wizard's Well submitted by TimPrevett : The Wizard's Well at Alderley Edge. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Holy Well / Spring in Cheshire. The Wizard's Well can be found on the magical outcrop of Alderley Edge in Cheshire, famous for its legend of a band of warriors who reputedly lie sleeping in a chamber below ground, ready to awake in a time of crisis to save their country. The carving of the wizard and the inscription, which reads 'Drink of this and take thy fill for the water falls by the Wizhard's will', were reputedly created by local stone mason Robert Garner, the great-great-grandfather of local author Alan Garner (famous for his book The Weirdstone of Brisingamen) in the 19th century.

The spring itself is undoubtedly much earlier and is perhaps one of the reasons why the area was settled as early as the Neolithic period.

The well is easily accessed by parking in the small lay-by on the Macclesfield Road (rather than the main National Trust carpark) at SJ855778. From the layby, a short walk down the footpath will bring you to Castle Rock where a Neolithic settlement was discovered in the early 20th century. Turn left and follow the path down hill and you will soon come to the Wizard's Well.

Other sites of interest on the Edge include the Bronze Age copper Mines, the Armada Beacon constructed on top of a Bronze Age barrow, the Golden Stone and the Druid's Circle, a relatively modern folly also reputedly created by Robert Garner.
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Wizard's Well
Wizard's Well submitted by macgarret : The Wizard's Well, Alderley Edge. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Wizard's Well
Wizard's Well submitted by macgarret : Insrciption close-up Wizard's Well, Alderley Edge. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Wizard's Well
Wizard's Well submitted by Antonine : 2016 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Wizard's Well
Wizard's Well submitted by TimPrevett : The famed Wizard's Well of Alderley Edge, angled to the west. See main entry for details. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.

Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
SJ8577 : Alderley Edge service reservoir by Stephen Craven
by Stephen Craven
©2010(licence)
SJ8577 : Armada Beacon by Dave Dunford
by Dave Dunford
©2009(licence)
SJ8577 : View from the site of the Armada Beacon, Alderley Edge by habiloid
by habiloid
©2019(licence)
SJ8577 : Alderley Edge in the spring by John H Darch
by John H Darch
©2011(licence)
SJ8577 : Armada Beacon by K A
by K A
©2011(licence)

The above images may not be of the site on this page, they are loaded from Geograph.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 100m S 180° Armada Beacon* Round Barrow(s) (SJ858777)
 116m ENE 59° Holy Well (Alderley Edge)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SJ85907786)
 223m ESE 116° Wishing Well (Alderley Edge)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SJ860777)
 280m E 86° Wizard's Cave Cave or Rock Shelter (SJ86087782)
 281m ENE 73° Druidical Circle* Modern Stone Circle etc (SJ86077788)
 356m NE 38° Findlow Marker Stone (SJ86027808)
 360m ESE 124° Golden Stone (Alderley Edge)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ861776)
 360m ESE 124° Engine Vein, Alderley Edge Copper Mines* Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry (SJ861776)
 1.1km SSE 162° Great Merestone Marker Stone (SJ86137677)
 1.7km ENE 69° Mottram St Andrew Mines Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry (SJ874784)
 3.3km S 183° Birtles Hall Round Barrow(s) (SJ856745)
 4.2km SSW 202° Sodger's Hump* Round Barrow(s) (SJ842739)
 4.4km ESE 102° St Peter (Prestbury)* Ancient Cross (SJ9008676910)
 4.7km ENE 66° Adlington Hall pre-Norman cross* Ancient Cross (SJ901797)
 4.7km SE 124° Prestbury Road (Macclesfield)* Ancient Cross (SJ89727511)
 4.9km E 84° Bonis Hall Lane* Round Barrow(s) (SJ907783)
 4.9km E 84° Butley Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SJ9072278334)
 5.1km SSW 197° Capesthorne Hall (NE)* Round Barrow(s) (SJ843729)
 5.2km E 88° Butley Stone Circle (SJ9178)
 5.2km SSW 202° Capesthorne Hall (NW) Round Barrow(s) (SJ838730)
 5.3km WNW 295° Lindow* Ancient Trackway (SJ810800)
 5.4km SSW 194° Capesthorne Hall (SE)* Round Barrow(s) (SJ845726)
 5.8km SSE 150° New Farm, Henbury* Stone Circle (SJ887728)
 6.0km ESE 123° Macclesfield Cemetery* Round Barrow(s) (SJ908745)
 6.0km SSE 164° Bearhurst Farm* Round Barrow(s) (SJ874720)
View more nearby sites and additional images

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"Wizard's Well" | Login/Create an Account | 7 News and Comments
  
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Re: Wizard's Well by Anne T on Wednesday, 15 November 2017
(User Info | Send a Message)
At the same grid reference, The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) record another holy well, in addition to the Wizard Well, - see their entry for Holy Well, Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

TNA's entry includes a drawing of the well from 1828 and tell us that the waters were said to be a cure for barrenness and "In Roeder & Graves’ (1906) analysis of the neolithic remains surrounding this geological arena, they told there to have been “at least nine wells at different parts of the Edge” — this and the Wizard Well being the ones of greater local renown. Flints and the remains of neolithic man were found all round here.  Obviously the water from this well here would have been of primal use ... As well as this he reported how a large boulder fell from the Holy Well Rocks above it around 1740, and “a woman and a cow are said to have been buried under it.”  But a lengthier description came from Roeder & Graves’ archaeological essay, where they told how both the Wizard Well and this site, “were in ancient times connected with well worship."
[ Reply to This ]

Legend of Alderney Edge by coldrum on Tuesday, 04 September 2012
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The Legend of Alderley Edge
The small Cheshire village of Alderley Edge, about 5 miles north west of Macclesfield and some 12 miles south of Manchester on the A34 main trunk road, is steeped in folklore and legend. The village clings to the bottom of the steep sandstone escarpment overlooking the Cheshire Plain, along the B5087, known simply as 'The Edge'. Copper and lead mining are known to have taken place during the Bronze Age and Roman times and continued again from the 1690s into the 1920s. It is an area rich in legend and history.

Rest of article here:


http://clasmerdin.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/legend-of-alderley-edge.html
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Wizard's Well by coldrum on Tuesday, 04 September 2012
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Link:

http://www.alderleyedge.org/the_wells.htm
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Wizard's Well by coldrum on Saturday, 08 August 2009
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"Holy Well, the well adjoining it on the S.W, and Wizard's Well
all consist of water percolating through sandstone into modern
stone troughs. Above Wizard's Well is a carved face and
inscription. There is no trace of antiquity at either of the
Wells.
The Well at Brynlow was created by subsidence, and the one near
Church Quarry appears to be the water filled top of a mine shaft.
The remaining four wells could not be located."

The above from Pastscape:

https://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=76354
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Wizard's Well by coldrum on Thursday, 19 March 2009
(User Info | Send a Message)
National Trust site:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-alderleyedge.htm
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Wizard's Well by TimPrevett on Sunday, 26 August 2007
(User Info | Send a Message)
Wizard's Well at Alderley Edge short clip on YouTube, from just a few hours ago.

[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Wizard's Well by Anonymous on Sunday, 07 November 2010
    Thank you so much for posting this clip from the Wizard's Well, Alderley Edge. I live in Sydney, Australia, and will probably never get to see it for real. Thanks for sending me this little piece of magic.
    Gavin.
    [ Reply to This ]

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