Volunteers celebrate restoration of Leper Well

The restoration of a historical well has been celebrated by volunteers with the erection of a plaque.

According to local stories, lepers would receive a blessing at a church in Codsall, Staffordshire, and then be sent to bathe in the well's sulphurous waters.

Records suggest the Grade II listed landmark in Gunstone was first used in the 17th Century, but it had become overgrown with hedges and undergrowth in recent years.

Over the last 12 months a small team of villagers cleared the area around it, and the plaque installed alongside bears information about its history.

The volunteers, who were supported by a local landowner, a building company and environmental experts, came from nearby Brewood and Codsall.

The landowner, Charlie Giffard of Chillington Hall, said he was pleased that visitors could now learn about the well and said he hoped the well could one day be properly opened up again.

The volunteers said they hoped local schools would visit as part of their history studies.

Historic England said the tradition of Christian holy wells could be traced back to the 6th Century, but some could trace their origins back further.

It said the number of holy wells was not known, but it believed there could be at least 600 around the country.

The Leper Well at Gunstone and its links to the nearby church demonstrated the connection between these wells and religion, it added.

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