Madron Well and Madron Well Chapel facts for kids
Madron well
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 Location in Southwest Cornwall
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| Location | Cornwall |
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| Coordinates | 50°08′23″N 5°34′33″W / 50.13985°N 5.57587°W |
| Type | Chapel and well |
| History | |
| Periods | Medieval |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | Bolitho Estate |
| Public access | Yes |
Madron Well and Madron Well Chapel is a special historical site in Cornwall, UK. It's protected as an Ancient Monument, which means it's very old and important.
Madron Well Chapel (grid reference SW446328) is the ruined building of a chapel that was built a long time ago, possibly in the 12th or 14th century. It was dedicated to a saint named St Madern. This chapel was built on the spot of an even older Celtic religious place.
Madron Well (grid reference SW445327) is a natural spring located about 200 meters (about 650 feet) to the west of the chapel. You might see special offerings, called clouties, tied to trees near the holy well on the path to the chapel. These are often pieces of cloth left by people visiting the well.
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Where to Find Madron Well and Chapel
The chapel and well are located about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) northwest of the village of Madron. They are part of the same local area, called a civil parish. The land where this ancient monument stands is owned by the Bolitho estate.
History of the Chapel
The Madron Well Chapel is a roofless stone building. In the past, people measured it to be about 20 feet (6 meters) long and 10 feet (3 meters) wide inside. Its walls are about 2 feet (60 centimeters) thick and stand about 8 or 9 feet (2.4 to 2.7 meters) high.
Inside the chapel, there is a large granite stone that served as an altar. It is about 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) long and 2 feet 7 inches (79 cm) wide. This altar stone likely dates back to the 12th century. There's a small dip in the stone where a portable mensa (a special slab used for religious ceremonies) would have been placed.
A stream flows right through the chapel building. For a long time, until the 1700s, this well and stream were the only source of water for the nearby villages of Madron and Penzance. The path of this stream is why the chapel's entrance is on the north wall, which is unusual for chapels.
Sadly, the chapel was partly destroyed during the English Civil War by a person named Major Ceely. Over the years, people have been concerned about stones being taken from the site.
The chapel was first officially protected as an ancient monument in 1926. It is still considered very important to the history of the country.
Plants and Wildlife Around the Chapel
This area is home to some rare plants. One special plant found here is the Cornish moneywort (Sibthorpia europaea). It was first noticed here in 1824.
In 1888, members of a local history group visited the well and chapel. They saw two types of carnivorous plants (plants that eat insects): the pale butterwort (Pinguicula lusitanica) and the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). It's even said that some plants from this very site were sent to the famous scientist Charles Darwin for his studies!
The Healing Well
Madron Well is a natural spring that is now hidden among shrubs and plants. It is a classic example of a Cornish Celtic sacred site. Many people believe the well's water has special healing powers.
There's a story from the 1600s about a man named John Trelille, who was a cripple. He was said to have been cured after bathing in the well's water and then sleeping on a grassy mound nearby. This mound was called St Maderne's bed and was remade every year.
An old tradition for May Day was for young people, especially girls, to go to the well before sunrise. They would perform a ceremony to find out how many years they would have to wait before getting married. They would fasten two grass stems or straws together with a pin and drop them into the water. The number of bubbles that rose was supposed to tell them the number of years. By 1879, this ceremony was no longer done on May Day itself, but on a Sunday, because the girls worked during the week.
Even today, people continue a tradition of tying pieces of cloth, called clouties, to nearby bushes. This is a way to show respect to the spirits believed to be in the well.
In 1882, there was a plan to pipe water from the well to Madron Churchtown. A local landowner, Mr T S Bolitho, even offered to help pay for it.
