A bit of amplification on James Rattue's comments. The well in south Wales
is Ffynnon Fair, St Mary's Well at Penrhys in the Rhondda. Once one of the
holiest places in south Wales and a major focus for pilgrimage, it has
recently been more famous as a disastrously badly-planned housing estate,
treated by the local council as a dumping ground. Just over ten years ago,
the local URC moderator established a fully ecumenical church and Christian
community there which has achieved a modern miracle of community
regeneration. The community has been trying to keep the well clean and has
recently secured a grant for a more comprehensive restoration. They are
taking archaeological and historical advice on this but the only hope for a
lasting improvement is that the local community has to be securely in the
driving seat. Too much outside initiative will only exacerbate the problems
of alienation and resulting vandalism.
A number of groups go there on pilgrimage, by various means. The group with
which I am involved walks there on the traditional route from Llantarnam
near Newport, the site of the Cistercian abbey which looked after the
shrine in the Middle Ages. We will be doing this on Whit Bank Holiday
weekend, 27-29 May: I can supply more details to anyone who is interested.
Best wishes
Maddy
Dr Madeleine Gray
Department of Humanities and Science
UWCN
'Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought'
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