Mother Anthony's Well

The site began as a Roman enclosure centred on a spring, and what you see today is that same spring-fed well that served communities from ancient times onwards. After the Roman period, it continued as a valued medieval spring before gaining recognition as a holy well during the 17th century, when local stories grew up around a figure named Mother Anthony.

There's something compelling about places that have mattered to people across such long stretches of time, and this is one of them. You won't find dramatic ruins here, but rather the quieter satisfaction of standing in a spot that has drawn visitors for nearly two thousand years. The landscape itself invites you to think about the different communities who came to this spring for water and, eventually, for spiritual reasons.

It's an excellent place to pause and reflect, and its location makes it easy to combine with a country walk through the surrounding area. If you're based in Devizes, which is close by, Mother Anthony's Well is straightforward to reach and makes for a rewarding short trip. It's the kind of site that reveals Wiltshire's layered history if you take time to consider what you're looking at.