 St. Blaise's Well | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 51°24′14″N0°01′22″E / 51.40387°N 0.02266°E |
|---|---|
| Location | Bromley Palace |
St Blaise's Well is a holy well located in the grounds of the old Bishop's Palace (residence of Bishops of the see of Rochester until 1845), now part of Bromley Civic Centre [1] [2] in Bromley, London.
It appears that a spring already existed on the site when it was granted to Bishop Eardwulf by King Ethelbert II of Kent around 750 AD. A well was constructed a few hundred yards away from the source and marked with oak trees. Its chalybeate water (containing traces of iron) was reputed to have healing properties. [3]
The well eventually became a place of pilgrimage and an oratory in honour of Saint Blaise was built close by (Bromley, and the west Kent area in general, was dependent on the wool trade of which Blaise was the patron saint). [3] [4] The site was visited, not only on account of the reputed medicinal properties of the water, but also for the 40 days' remittance of penance granted by the Pope to those who on the three holy days of Pentecost (Whitsun and the following two days) made their confession and offered prayers at St Blaise's Chapel. [2] [3]
After the Reformation, the oratory fell into ruin and the well into disuse – during the course of time becoming buried and forgotten. However it was rediscovered in 1754, [5] by a Mr. Harwood, the Bishop's chaplain, who noticed a "yellow ochrey sediment, remaining in the tract of a small current, leading from the spring to the corner of the moat, with the waters of which it used to mix". [6]
In 1756, Thomas Reynolds, a surgeon, conducted various experiments to test the medicinal qualities of the water from the well and wrote that "the water of this spring is much richer in mineral contents than the water of Tunbridge Wells ". He also gave an account of the rediscovery of the well: [6]
An impression of the site, as it was in the early 19th century, can also be gleaned from this account by William Hone, in his "Table Book" of 1827:
Hone also reported that the well was beginning to fall into disrepair and the area becoming overgrown – this process continued throughout the nineteenth century as the well became less popular as a tourist/pilgrimage site. In 1887, the owner of the Bishop's palace (Mr. Coles Child) reported that, "The well is still in existence, although the whole building, as restored by my father, was knocked into the moat during the last heavy snowstorm". [9]
The well was eventually reconstructed and now stands in a Pulhamite rockery on the edge of a small lake. The outfall from the well flows into the lake which itself used to be part of the moat surrounding the old Bishop's palace (the latter now part of Bromley Civic Centre). [10] [11]
Beckenham is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located 8.4 miles (13.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west of Bromley and Shortlands. Its population at the 2011 census counted 46,844 inhabitants.
Mottingham is a district of south-east London, England, which straddles the border of both the London Borough of Bromley and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located north east of Bromley Town Centre, 3.5 miles. It was historically within the county of Kent.
Penge is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Bromley, 3.7 miles (6.0 km) north east of Croydon and 7.1 miles (11.4 km) south east of Charing Cross.
Thomas Sprat, FRS was an English churchman and writer, Bishop of Rochester from 1684.
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 9.4 miles (15.1 km) south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Eltham Palace is a large house at Eltham in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The house consists of the medieval great hall of a former royal residence, to which an Art Deco extension was added in the 1930s. The hammerbeam roof of the great hall is the third-largest of its type in England, and the Art Deco interior of the house has been described as a "masterpiece of modern design". The house is owned by the Crown Estate and managed by English Heritage, which took over responsibility for the great hall in 1984 and the rest of the site in 1995.
Kent is a traditional county in South East England with long-established human occupation.
The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal signature is: " (firstname) Roffen", Roffensis being the genitive case of the Latin name of the see.
Bromley Common is the area of south-east London, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Bromley town centre and Bickley, west of Southborough and Petts Wood, north of Locksbottom and Keston, and east of Hayes.
St Paul's Cray is an area of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Sidcup and north of Orpington.
Southborough is an area of South East London, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Bickley and Bromley, east of Bromley Common, north of Locksbottom, and west of Petts Wood.
Sutton-at-Hone is a village in the civil parish of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England. It is located 3.5 miles south of Dartford & 3.6 miles north east of Swanley.
The Bishop's Palace and accompanying Bishops House at Wells in the English county of Somerset, is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for 800 years. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.
John Warner was an English churchman, Bishop of Rochester and royalist.
Bromley Palace is a manor house in Bromley, London Borough of Bromley; and was the residence of the Bishops of Rochester from the 12th century to 1845. The building, which is now part of Bromley Civic centre, is a Grade II listed building.
Simpson's Manor, or Simpson's Place, was a moated medieval manor house in Bromley, Kent, England, with evidence of habitation going back to the reign of Edward I. It was demolished around 1870 but survives in the name of a (minor) local road – Simpson's Place.
The Bromley War Memorial in Bromley, Greater London, England commemorates the fallen of World War I and World War II. It was designed by British sculptor Sydney March, of the March family of artists.
The Bromley Parish Church Memorial commemorates the deceased parishioners of World War I. The war memorial was designed and constructed by British sculptor Sydney March, of the March family of artists.
In British usage, the term townhouse originally referred to the town or city residence, in practice normally in Westminster, near the seat of the monarch, of a member of the nobility or gentry, as opposed to their country seat, generally known as a country house or, colloquially, for the larger ones, stately home. The grandest of the London townhouses were stand-alone buildings, but many were terraced buildings.
Stockwell College of Education was a teacher-training college based in South London, England. It was located in Stockwell, South London from 1860 to 1935 and then relocated to the grounds of Bromley Palace, Bromley until its closure in 1980.