St Cuby'S Well

St Cuby's Well is a wellhouse dedicated to St Cuby, likely built in the 15th century. The outer structure was altered and partly rebuilt when the nearby road, now the B 3254, was constructed in 1822. It was restored by Rector Dr Barrington Ward. The wellhouse features a granite ashlar outer cell with a gabled end and a roof made of large granite blocks. This leads to the inner wellhouse, which is built into the side of a bank over a field spring and constructed of stone rubble.

The gabled front is made of large rusticated granite blocks, with an alisee patee cross at the apex and a round-headed arched entrance. Inside the outer cell, there is a stone bench on the left, and a round-headed arch leads to the inner wellhouse room, which has corbelled walls and a flat stone roof. Water from the field spring trickles down the walls into a small basin. Steps lead down to the basin, and the water flows out through a tunnel into the stream below.

The inner cell or chapel is believed to have contained a circular basin or font, which is now located in the parish church of St Cuby in Duloe. This font, decorated with griffins and possibly a dolphin, may pre-date the wellhouse and could have been used for pagan rituals. Local legend warns of misfortunes for anyone attempting to move the basin, recounting a tale of a team of oxen sent to relocate it, one of which died. The basin was eventually rolled down the hill by a drunken workman and ended up outside the cottage of an old lady, who reportedly heard piskeys laughing over it all night. In 1863, when the squire tried to move it to Trenant, he had to pledge pensions for anyone who fell during the operation. Ultimately, the basin was moved to the church.