Monument record 1445/0/1 - Wizard's Well

Wizard's Well at Alderley Edge It consists of water percolating through sandstone into a modern stone trough. Above the trough is a carved faced end inscription (1).
According to (3), this is a slow dripping well located on a low cliff rock face. There is a stone basin underneath that collects the water but the drainage now mainly follows the course of the footpath. The source of the water seepage is the displacement of a clay band seperated from the rest by a fault. Above the well is a crude carving of a face of a wizard and an inscription "Drink of this and take thy fill, for the water falls by the Wizard's Will.". The age of the carving is unknown but it is thought to be mid to late 19th century produced by the landscaping carried out by the Stanleys. The feature is in essence a folly symptomatic of 19th century romanticism.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ87NE2.4/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

<2> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 23/26 Roeder C & Graves F S 1905 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

<3> 1998, Alderley Edge Landscape Project Archive (Unpublished Report). SCH4334.

<4> Timberlake, S. and Prag, A.J.N.W., 2005, The Archaeology of Alderley Edge (Book). SCH4769.