Well Cross In Robins Wood Hill Country Park At Ngr So 838 158

This is a well head or cistern, likely dating to the 12th or 13th century. It sits above the intake of a pipe originally intended to supply water to the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter in Gloucester.

The structure is built from dressed oolitic limestone slabs held together with iron cramps. It is a low, rectangular construction with vertical slabs supporting a large roof slab, approximately 2 meters in length and 30 centimeters thick. The top of the roof slab is dressed to form a flat cross, with chamfered corners defining the cross shape. Six holes, each 5 centimeters deep and 2.5 centimeters in diameter, are drilled into the horizontal face of the cross and are thought to be the fixing points for a lead or bronze cross that once stood on the slab. An inspection opening between the wall slabs on the east side is fitted with a late 20th-century timber door, replacing an earlier door. The iron strap hinges are potentially reused from the original door.

Historical records suggest the structure may relate to a grant made in 1163-1184, allowing the abbey to collect water from springs on the hill. A similar right was granted to the Grey Friars around 1230, leading to a dispute in 1355 that was settled by Edward, the Black Prince, at the request of King Edward I. The judgment confirmed the friars' right to one-third of the water supply. In 1483, the friars granted three-quarters of their water supply to the bailiffs and community of Gloucester. This well head, along with the Well House, is of outstanding national significance due to its rarity and its importance as part of a medieval water supply system. A reservoir in the Cathedral Precincts was built alongside a drain supplying water to the cloister and lavatorium of the former Abbey of St Peter.