2019
SN1044 : Cwm Ffynnon-alwm
taken 4 years ago, near to Moylgrove, Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro, Wales
Cwm Ffynnon-alwm
This steep-sided wooded valley is named in Welsh for the 'alum well' (actually a chalybeate spring) that once existed there. The spring was described by Richard Fenton in his Historical Tour through Wales (1811) as 'enclosed with stone and mortar, and about 6 yards below its stream is diffused into a more capacious bason [sic] excavated for the convenience of bathing in it'. In 2011 Mike Ings, of the Dyfed Archaeological Trust's survey of holy wells, interviewed the landowner who recalled finding the lost well as a boy - 'two stone steps leading down to a pool of brown water' - but on returning to clear it out failed to find it again. Its whereabouts remain unknown and the thick growth of vegetation would make access into the valley very challenging. (I cannot find any record of the well being considered holy although the water was reputed to have curative properties.)
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