Struell Wells


Map Reference: J513442 (3513, 3442)

The wells and baths at Struell have been visited by pilgrims in search of a cure since before the 16th century, although the name of the site is not ancient. At the north-east end of the site is a ruined church which was built about 1750 but probably never completed. It probably replaced an earlier church on the same site.



Beside it is the Drinking Well, a circular stone building with a domed stone roof showing impressions of wicker-centering. A stone in the outer wall is carved with a small cross with triangular terminals.



The well is fed by the stream which continues through the middle of the site to the Eye Well.



This well is covered by a small square building with a very fine corbelled roof. After flowing through the Eye Well the stream divides to feed the bath houses. The Men’s Bath House is contained in a rectangular building with a pointed barrel vault covered externally by overlapping courses of heavy stone slates.



The Men’s Changing Room has a west doorway and occupies the W portion of the bath house. It has stone seats and small square windows.



The Men’s Bath occupies about half of the eastern portion of the building. It is a deep stone tank fed by a strong flow from a spout. A channel in the S wall of the tank indicates that it had some form of sluice gate which allowed the tank to fill.



The Women’s Changing room occupies the rest of the building. It has its own entrance in the east. It also has stone seats and small square windows.



The Women’s Bath House is a small separate rectangular building (now roofless) just to the E of the larger building. Its western doorway is opposite the doorway of the Women’s Changing Room. The bath house is fed by a spout about halfway up the wall and the flow continues along a central channel and out under the S wall.





The site has been associated with St Patrick for at least 300 years.





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