St Lawrence well
The St Lawrence well, at St Lawrence, Isle of Wight, dates from antiquity offering refreshment for passing pilgrims. The well does not have a well-shaft but is fed by one of the many springs and streams which flow out of the undercliff above St. Lawrence.
The well is dedicated to St Lawrence, a third century Roman saint martyred, according to legend, by roasting on a gridiron.
The present structure of the well was originally by the side of a road through St Lawrence (above image), and was constructed by the first Earl of Yarborough in the early 19th century. When the route of the road was changed in 1864, the new road by-passed the well; today the well is located on the driveway of Marine Villa off Undercliff Drive, the driveway is also a short public footpath.
The St Lawrence well was the inspiration of 'St. Lawrence's Well: A Fragmentary Legend of the Isle of Wight' by Henry Brinsley Sheridan which was published in 1845.
The well is on the Whitwell Pilgrim Path and panel number 8 is positioned by the structure.
