St Alkelda's Holy Well

Trip No.19  Entry No.6  Date Added: 29th Apr 2017
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 27th Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 1 Access 4

Log Text: St. Alkelda's Well, Middleham: How tragic – a now dried up well, completely uncared for.

From St. Mary’s and St. Alkeld’s church, I was determined to find St. Alkeld’s Well. Armed only with the mobile phone, OS maps and the grid reference from Pastscape, we set off westwards across the fields, through the gate in the churchyard across a grassy field with a play area at the far end, through a gate leading into where St. Alkeld’s Road and The Springs meet, then through a stile into a grassy field. Measuring the distance between the church porch and the well, the distance is just under 250 metres.

We walked past the well without realising it, thinking it was only a pile of stones and rubble that someone had tossed over their garden wall. On checking the grid reference, we walked back to it.

Having seen the image of the trough by the roadside on both the Portal and Yorkshire Holy Wells, we searched in vain, eventually walking back to The Springs and looking down the driveways. The well is sited at the bottom of the gardens of the two small houses, one called ‘Well Cottage’. Having taken some photographs, we followed the footpaths back into the town centre, ending up at a medieval cross at SE 12607 87679 (see on a previous visit).

St Mary and St Alkelda

Trip No.19  Entry No.5  Date Added: 29th Apr 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 27th Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Cross Fragment, Middleham: On the way to the holy well, we stopped off to look at the porch of St. Mary’s & St. Alkeld, but evensong was one, so we couldn't go inside but carried on westwards through the churchyard into the fields beyond to find St. Alkelda’s Well.

At home (29th April) reading through the entry from British Listed Buildings, I noted there was mention of a cross shaft fragment built into the floor of the nave. I looked up my photographs from 19th August 2013, when we’d had a holiday cottage not far away, at a time when we weren’t looking for Anglo Saxon cross fragments, and there was one photograph.

After a brief look around the exterior of the church, we carried on through the churchyard to find the site of St. Alkelda's Well.

All Saints (Ingleby Arncliffe)

Trip No.19  Entry No.1  Date Added: 29th Apr 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 27th Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Cross fragments (not found), Ingleby Arncliffe, North Yorkshire: We last visited here on 28th July 2015, but the church was locked and I’d arranged for the church warden, to unlock the church for us, although when I’d mentioned the Anglo Saxon fragments to the vicar, he’d replied “this doesn’t sound much like our church.” The stone cross is still located in the porch, shut behind a metal railing door to keep it safe.

Inside, the church is very simple and plain, furnished with box pews, now painted a dusky, dark rose pink. The effigies placed either side of the altar are interesting, together with some stained glass in the east window, which the Yorkshire Moors Gazeteer says represents the Fauconberg and St Quintin families. One of the effigies is of Sir William Colvill, the other of his brother, Robert. These effigies are both in armour with ailettes, and hold hearts in their hands. The British Listed Buildings entry for Ingleby Arncliffe says the ailettes (the origin of modern epaulettes) is a 'very rare feature'.

The vestry was locked, so we couldn’t get in. We also hunted high and low around the tower for possible cross fragments. I took photographs and have since enlarged them using Photoshop, but these only show weathered sandstone.

A disappointing visit, but we tried to find these cross fragments.

All Hallows (Bardsey)

Trip No.19  Entry No.3  Date Added: 2nd May 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (West))
Visited: Yes on 27th Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon crosses, Bardsey, West Yorkshire: This is a very lovely spot, not far from the main A58 travelling south into Leeds. Considering how close it is to the main road, this is a peaceful, tranquil spot. Having checked with the parish office beforehand, the church is open all day until 5pm.

First impressions of the building were lovely. Approaching from the west wall, there is evidence on the external wall of many different roof lines, inserted windows and additions. Inside the building it is fascinating to see the tower, complete with windows, now completely absorbed into the interior.

Whilst there, a group of four people came in and started asking us questions about the building, of which I could only answer a couple. We gave them the church guide leaflets.

I found the collection of ancient stones on both sides of the door into the Maleverer Chantry. I most liked the 12th century font bowl, which Andrew found in two pieces at the base of the steps, tucked into a dark corner, the cross head fragment and the 11th century grave marker inscribed with a crude Latin cross.

Collingham Crosses

Trip No.19  Entry No.5  Date Added: 2nd May 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (West))
Visited: Yes on 27th Apr 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Collingham Crosses, West Yorkshire: What are the chances of meeting someone whose grandparents built the house you live in now and has recollections of visiting, together with photographs of what the house used to look like? The grandparents of Rev. Sylvia Earle who is vicar of Collingham did in fact build our house, and she was able to tell us what it was like when she was younger, and provided us with a photograph of what our (then) bungalow was like when it was first built.

The church has to be kept locked these days as Rev Earle told us someone had stolen a fragment from the west end, and someone tried to set a fire against the wood panelling at the east end of the north aisle. Shame.

We were left with the keys to return once we’d finished, so spent a good 40 minutes wandering around the church, photographing the crosses and fragments, including the cross fragment built into the north wall of the vestry. The Victorian builders built the nave and chancel at an angle. The Runic and Apostle crosses were lovely, together with the unusual round creset.

Most of the furniture within the building looked new and well cared for, with pristine kneelers. Much enjoyed this visit: we were made very welcome and this is a pleasant sanctuary inside, although the noise from the A58 invaded the privacy of the churchyard.

St Helen's Church (Bilton-in-Ainsty)

Trip No.19  Entry No.2  Date Added: 1st May 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Crosses, St. Helen's Church, Bilton-in-Ainsty: We’d tried to visit this church before, but because there was no vicar in post, the church was kept locked. Emails to the York Diocese weren’t helpful.

Knowing we were coming down to Ingelby Arncliffe again, I checked on A Church Near You, and have been corresponding with the vicar, the Reverend Richard Battersby. In the last communication I had with him, he said he had set up a mother and toddler group on a Thursday morning, which met between 10 am and 11.30am. An email to enquire if it was OK to call in after this (so as not to clash with the M&T group) and drop the key off after had no reply, so I phoned and spoke to his mother, who told me the Bishop had sent him to an event so he wasn’t around.

There were three crosses in the small chapel at the south-east end of the church, next to a very interesting set of mass dial/scratch clocks and old graffiti. There was the lovely effigy of a woman in the sanctuary.

I waited until the M&T group had finished before taking photos of the wheelhead cross at the west end of the church. Even though it was a dull day, this proved difficult to get a good image of because the light streamed in above it. In the end, I had to use the flash to compensate. I was unable to get to the notes as the group was closing up and moving everything out of the church, so I grabbed a guide book, thanked them for letting me ‘barge in’ and quietly left.

The Rev. Battersby also recommended visiting Healaugh Church, although we didn’t have time today. Next stop was Bardsey near Leeds.