St Winefride's Well Facts for Kids

St Winefride's Well (Ffynnon Wenffrewi in Welsh) is a special spring located in the village of Holywell, in Wales. Many people believe it is the oldest pilgrimage site in Great Britain that people still visit today. It is also a very important historical building.

People think St Winefride's Well might be connected to St Mary's well and chapel in Cefn Meiriadog. This well is even mentioned in an old poem called Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

The Well's History
The Well Today
Images for kids
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The Well's History

St. Winefride's Well, around 1790

St Winifred's Well, FlintShire (1832)

People have believed for a very long time that the water from this well can cause amazing cures. Stories of these cures go back to the early Middle Ages. The well became linked to Saint Winifred around the 12th century.

The Story of Saint Winefride

In the 12th century, a story was written about Saint Winefride. She was a young woman who was killed by a local prince named Caradoc because she refused his advances. A spring of water is said to have appeared where she fell. Later, her uncle, Saint Beuno, brought her back to life.

A Famous Place

The well is often called "the Lourdes of Wales" because it is a famous place of healing, much like Lourdes in France. It is also mentioned in an old rhyme as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales.

Royal Visitors and Changes

Many important people have visited St Winefride's Well over the centuries.

In 1189, King Richard I visited to pray for his crusade.
It is said that King Henry V walked all the way from Shrewsbury to the well in 1416.
In the late 1400s, Lady Margaret Beaufort built a chapel overlooking the well. Today, this chapel opens onto a pool where visitors can bathe.
Some parts of the well's buildings are from the time of King Henry VII or even earlier.
Later, King Henry VIII ordered the destruction of many religious shrines, including parts of St Winefride's. However, some holy items were saved and are now kept in Shrewsbury and Holywell.

A Symbol of Faith

In the 1600s, the well became a symbol for Catholics in Wales who continued to practice their faith even when it was difficult. The Jesuits, a group of Catholic priests, strongly supported the well. In 1605, some people involved in the Gunpowder Plot visited the well. Some say they were giving thanks for a cure, while others believe they were planning their plot.

More Royal Visits

King James II and his wife Mary of Modena visited the well in 1686. They had tried many times to have a child who could become king. Soon after their visit, Mary became pregnant with a son, James.

In 1828, Princess Victoria visited the well when she was staying in Holywell with her uncle, King Leopold of Belgium. After a law in 1829 made it easier for Catholics to practice their faith, the Jesuits encouraged more people to visit the well again.

Messages from the Past

The stone walls of the chapel are covered with hundreds of initials left by grateful pilgrims. Some of these messages even tell stories of people who were cured there.

In 1917, a newspaper reported that the spring had stopped flowing for a short time. The gardens around the well were bought in 1930 after an old brewery was removed. In 2005, Birgitte Henriksen, the Duchess of Gloucester, also visited the well.

The Well Today

In the past, a mining tunnel caused the well to dry up because it broke into a flooded cave that fed the well. To keep water flowing for local industries, water was then pumped from a nearby lead mine.

In early 2019, the water flow was stopped again for a short time due to repair work.

Today, the Shrine and Well are looked after by Holywell Parish for the Catholic diocese of Wrexham. Visitors enter through the Visitor Centre. People can still bathe in the outdoor pool.