Saint
The well St Augustine struck
Twelve limes stand round it like apostles.
See it clearly
- What's there
- Stone-lined spring pool under lime trees
- Legend from
- William of Malmesbury (12th c.)
- Tone
- Curious
A saint, a struck stone and a spring that never ran dry.
In a tree-lined hollow beside the old abbey at Cerne lies a spring said to have been made by St Augustine himself. William of Malmesbury recorded the claim in the 12th century, and the Dorset Historic Environment Record notes that the hermit St Edwold was also said to have lived here. Also called the Silver Well, it was the focal point of the Benedictine abbey. The British Pilgrimage Trust calls the Augustine story dubious and notes that many think the spring was sacred long before Christianity, ringed by lime trees known as the Twelve Apostles.