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St Clether's Chapel is a small medieval chapel situated in a remote valley near Altarnun in Cornwall, traditionally associated with the saint of that name and likely dating from the medieval period, though the exact date of construction remains uncertain. The chapel stands beside a holy well, a common pairing in Cornish sacred landscapes that reflects the integration of Christian worship with pre-Christian water sources. The structure is relatively modest in scale, characteristic of rural Cornish chapels, and the site has long been a place of pilgrimage and veneration. The chapel and well together represent an important aspect of medieval spiritual practice in Cornwall and the enduring significance of such devotional sites through subsequent centuries.
St Clether's Chapel and Holy Well is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1018492. View the official record →
St Clether's Chapel is a small medieval chapel situated in a remote valley near Altarnun in Cornwall, traditionally associated with the saint of that name and likely dating from the medieval period, though the exact date of construction remains uncertain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1018492.
St Clether's Chapel and Holy Well is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1018492.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Goodaver Stone Circle, 610m ESE of Tresibbet Farm (9.5 km), Prehistoric irregular field system and hut circle settlement with adjacent medieval regular field system and deserted settlement SE of Tresibbet Farm (9.5 km), Platform cairn with outer bank and central mound 740m NNE of Goodaver Farm (9.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of St Clether's Chapel and Holy Well's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
St Clether's Chapel and Holy Well stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Carboniferous, bedrock that formed in the Carboniferous. The rock here is mafic tuff.