Holy Well, Rubery

Dedication: Saint Chad?

Location: Rubery

Coordinates: 52.38797N, -2.03409W

Grid reference: SO977766

Heritage designation: none

Very little is known about the history of Rubery's holy well, apart from the fact that it was once deemed to be "holy". Today, the well seems to have earned the title of "St Chad's Well", and Chad is said to have rested at the spring on his travels, although I have been unable to find any historical basis for this association with the saint. There are, however, several nearby place-names that may indicate a genuine medieval link with St Chad, or at least his thriving cult, such as the nearby "Chadwich Farm". This same story appears also to have been applied to St Oswald, who is stated to have stopped at the well, also during one of his travels, and bathed in it (this tale supposedly gave its name to the nearby leisure centre, which was once called "St Oswald's Camp"). Again, I cannot find any historical records of this legend, but it could, of course, have been a strong oral tradition.

The site has always been marked on Ordnance Survey maps as a "Holy Well", and the spring must previously have been of great importance locally, as many places in Rubery take their name from it, such as the "Holywell Primary School", and, of course, "Holywell Lane". Although the Ordnance Survey maps state that the well is "chalybeate" (containing iron), I was unable to see any evidence of this on my visit in early 2025, mainly because the small amount of water was so murky. As of that date, the well is a square brick structure, about a metre square, covered in a relatively new metal grille, that gives rise to a small stream.

Access:

The site is located at the end of what is almost certainly the shortest and least used footpath in the whole of Britain. (It is also the least easy to access, and is blocked by a metal gate, probably because it is so seldom used.)