The Druid’s Chair and Menacuddle Well

Nearest town:
St Austell (1km E)
OS reference:
SX011533
OS sheet:
200
Latitude:
50° 20' 43.21 N
Longitude:
4° 47' 45.18 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of The Druid’s Chair and Menacuddle Well (Sacred Well) by goffik

The well-house through the amazing arched tree

Image credit: Goffik
goffik
goffik Jul 1, 2003
Image of The Druid’s Chair and Menacuddle Well (Sacred Well) by goffik

This must be the Druid’s Chair – wondered what it was!

Image credit: Goffik
goffik
goffik Jul 1, 2003
Image of The Druid’s Chair and Menacuddle Well (Sacred Well) by phil

Photos taken here are best done with a willing volunteer : )

phil
phil Jun 30, 2003

Articles

The Druid’s Chair and Menacuddle Well

C
CARL May 3, 2012

Visited 18.4.12

This was an interesting place to visit and despite the rain well worth it.

Directions: Take the B3274 south into St Austell. As mentioned in goffik’s notes the turning you need to make to the right is extremely sharp. So sharp in fact that a 3-point turn would be required and this is a busy road. It is much safer to continue past the turning (not sign posted and narrow) into St Austell and approach from the south. That way the turning becomes easy.

Follow the narrow lane to the small car park near the chair, overlooking the stream.
There was a chap standing near the chair and I thought for the first time this week there would actually be someone else at a site I was visiting. As I got closer I noticed the several cans of Stella he had with him so I don’t think he was there to look at the chair!!

The chair itself is cute and I would have loved to have sat in it but the puddle put me off!

At this point Dafydd spotted the Well across the other side of the stream, nestled amongst the trees.
‘Look, a little house!’ he shouted excitedly.
I must admit, it did look like the type of ‘house’ you see in fairy tales.

We crossed over the small bridge and entered the well house for a look around.

It was really atmospheric with virtually the entire stonework covered in moss with small ferns growing in the damp and shade. Water was dripping outside and there was plenty of water in the well.

On the way back over the bridge we stopped for a quick game of ‘Pooh sticks’
Dafydd insisted he won but I am sure I did!

This is a very, very pretty little place and comes highly recommended.

We headed back up the lane leaving the man alone with his thoughts – and his Stella!

The Druid’s Chair and Menacuddle Well

goffik
goffik Jul 1, 2003

I am getting so good at driving straight past these things!

To find this place, we drove South on the A391, and joined the B3274 at Stenalees, heading towards St Austell. The turning is on the right, roughly two miles down the B3274. If you go under the impressive viaduct, you’ve gone too far! The turning seemed easier to approach from the other direction anyway...

The location of this place is very peaceful. Hard to believe the proximity of the road above. The well-house itself is attached to the wall that the road runs along. It was built in the late fifteenth century and restored by Sir Charles Graves Sawle in 1922.

It was all very green and lush when we visited in May 2003 – mosses covering everything, the rhodedendrons in full bloom... The waterfall adds to the ambience, with the most amazing tree, completely arched over so it virtually dips into the stream. And that odd little stone seat! It’s all lovely!

A nice place to spend an hour or two, I reckon!

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