Saint Clether: Holy Well Chapel and Medieval Crosses

Saint Clether appeals to travellers who want to include religious architecture and medieval stone crosses in their trip. St Clether Holy Well Chapel and the Church of St Clether offer two distinct points of interest: a well chapel with older origins and a parish church whose structural elements come from different periods. Roadside crosses add to the picture, offering a chance to compare their form, historical locations and former functions.

Well Chapel and Parish Church

St Clether Holy Well Chapel is one of the largest well chapels in Cornwall. The building is considered to date from the 15th century, although its origins go back further. St Clether's Holy Well is listed as Grade II*. Water flows through a stone channel behind the altar and collects in a basin in the chapel wall. Alongside its historical dating, the actual course of the water also adds to the chapel's architectural interest.

The Church of St Clether has Norman origins and a 15th-century tower. It was largely rebuilt in 1865, with the tower left untouched. Norman features include a font and three capitals in the south aisle. The church offers a different perspective on architectural history from the Holy Well Chapel: Norman details stand alongside a later-dated tower and an extensive rebuilding.

Medieval Roadside Crosses

The roadside cross 620 m south-west of Basil Farm stands at a crossroads called Cross Gates. It is well preserved and is an example of a wheel-headed cross with rare projections on its neck. It also belongs to a group of crosses around the Basil estate that marked historic routes to the Church of St Clether and the Holy Well at St Clether. Another medieval roadside cross lies 120 m north of Basill. This, too, is well preserved and is an example of a wheel-headed cross with rare projections on its neck. Its historic waymarker function related to a ford on the River Inney; the route is no longer in use today. The two crosses share features of form but point to different historical routes. The term “wheel-headed” draws attention to the shape of the cross head; the rare projections on the neck are a distinctive detail of both well-preserved examples.

The medieval cross head 75 m east of Newpark is one of the largest known wheel-headed cross heads. In 1885, it was moved from the foot of Roughtor to its present location. While the crosses at Cross Gates and north of Basill stand out for their historical route connections, the cross head at Newpark is notable for its size and relocation.

Getting around on foot

The Well Chapel is about a ten-minute walk from the village and the parish church of St Clether. Allow for this as an approximate journey time and check current access before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Gulval, Colan, Chacewater, Newquay, Ruan Minor, Liskeard, Gunnislake, Luckett

For the main travel overview: Cornwall.