I love public libraries for many reasons. You meet so many lovely people with shared interests. In Exmouth Library I had an interesting discussion (in hushed tones!) about Holy Wells.

There are over 90 identified in Devon, the legacy in many cases of a flourishing Celtic Christianity, especially after the Romans left around 410 AD. But every age since endowed a special significance to those precious -- and communal – life sustaining sources, particularly at times of plague and drought.

There is no ‘official’ register of Holy Wells. Some are registered as of historic significance. Most are simply recognized informally. A few are associated with the great Celtic saints whose names appear in place names and church dedications. Many were associated with cures for afflictions, particularly eyesight, referencing perhaps some of the Gospel miracles.

You might think that any well, used and venerated by a community, would be accessible! Some are. Others require diligent map reading and stout waterproof footwear. Perhaps that is the difference between a purely functional local resource and a well with a special, even sacred, significance which requires a degree of effort and an acceptance of mystery.

One of the easiest to find is Woodbury Salterton. This magnificent well is a feature of the village scene with ducks in the nearby stream adding chorus. It looks ecclesiastical, almost an altar tomb with railings and steps down to the water source which, disappointingly you cannot hear through the solid wall. The religious texts, almost indecipherable now recognize its importance in the cholera epidemic of 1832:

Let him that thirst come…

Let him take the water of life freely. (Book of Revelations).

To the most unprepossessing Holy Well in the UK, Goldenwell on Lympstone Common. Where Hulham Road meets the B3179/3180 turn right and immediately left. Just after the junction with Wright’s Lane and the vehicle entrance with a Devon Wildlife Trust Board a public footpath crosses the road. Take the one on the right (south). Then take the short detour right and with careful looking you will find a shallow, dark, muddy pool. Were gold offerings really thrown into this spring? Sir Walter Raleigh might have known – he lived a mile away. Once you return to the main footpath you can escape the tree cover and their treacherous roots, enjoy the sunshine and maybe make Squabmoor – one of the great Commons walks.

Finally, an Exeter well which is easily found. It’s in Matford Lane just round the corner from County Hall. Parker’s Well had a well house until the Second World War. Its waters were said to cure eye diseases. It’s a beautiful little semi-circular well with its original stones. Unfortunately its waters are now diverted into the road drainage system which is something of a demotion. It deserves a plaque to tell its history.

Next time I search for the well dedicated to Exeter’s own saint, St. Sidwell.