Anne's Well

Anne's Well

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As you near the foot of the hill note the small drip well on the right where the road widens. (A drip well is a granite trough set in the ground to catch the drips from the bank above.) This is St Anne's Well, the water of which was reputedly good for eye complaints. It is possible that this well, which is also marked as St Andrew's Well on an old map, represents the last local trace of Well Worship, which was once prevalent in the West Country. At this point you may choose to continue on past Wray Brook towards Mardon Manor, a private manor house that has open gardens during the Spring, or turn left to the site of the old carrion pit. Moretonhampstead was an important cattle market and many of the cattle were slaughtered locally. Unwanted parts of the cattle were disposed of here in the pit! Just after the bridge is a signed footpath running up the valley worth a detour. This leads initially to the ruins of the old town bathing pool, which was formed by damming the Wray Brook. There was much heated debate when the pool was opened in 1931 (by George Lansbury) as to whether mixed bathing should be allowed. The pathway meanders through valley and wood all the way up to Mardon Down. However, the Trail itself does not take this route and instead you can turn around and wonder back towards the town.