Chapel Well and St.John’s Well

I went up to the Infirmary for my second jab which was a very social occasion with the very nice Ruth, retired midwife, doing the honours. Twelve hour shift, half hour break and about 260 jabs to do. They are about to close that unit as they have just about done all the staff and she said they’d done the police and carers too.

As I was up in the north of the county I thought I’d have another bash at two elusive wells. This was the second attempt so I had a better idea of the territory and what I was looking for this time ... https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2781274540657870302

They weren’t the most exciting and I can’t find anything out about them other than their existence on the old maps. At least I can tick them off my well radar.

The top one is Chapel Well near Talkin. As I was trying to locate it I met the woman who lived in Chapel House. She hadn’t heard of it but said that what is now the barn is the oldest part of the site and was supposed to be where monks stayed on their way to Lanercost Priory, a few miles further north of here.

The photograph is definitely the exact spot as indicated on the maps and there was a good fresh flow of water.

I’m pretty sure the bottom well is the right location for St.John’s at Greenwell. It has been capped but I persuaded myself that some of the stonework around it looked old and further up on the hill an ancient burial cist is marked but as far as I am aware there are no other buildings recorded that relate to it and I have no idea where it gets its association with St.John from. It’s all odd, the footpath looks as if it’s never used and it just stops on the map, goes nowhere. The gate was so firmly tied up I had to climb over. It didn’t feel very comfortable and I had to do the ‘brace yourself self and brazen it out’ thing. It felt as though this little valley’s secrets were well and truly hidden and a couple of hares bolted off along the very narrow strip fields, confirming the mystery of it all.

Once home it was still bright, sunny and chilly but I decided it’s been dry for long enough to do the Charles Gough walk. A new walk from the village. I’ve tried to do it on a few occasions before now but have been put off either by cows or deep mud. It snowed.