St Constantine's Cells is a Grade I listed building in the Cumberland local planning authority area, England. First listed on 1 April 1957. A Early medieval Cave dwellings.
St Constantine's Cells
- WRENN ID
- low-cobalt-ochre
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Cumberland
- Constituency
- Carlisle MP: Ms Julie Minns (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 1 April 1957
- Type
- Cave dwellings
- Address
- St Constantine's Cells, Wetheral
- OS grid reference
- NY 466 535
- Coordinates
- 54.87375, -2.83244
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
St Constantine's Cells are early medieval cave dwellings located high in the cliff face above the River Eden, south of Wetheral. They are known to have been in use in the 14th century, likely associated with the Priory of Wetheral, and are popularly believed to have been used by St Constantine during his time as a hermit. The structure features a masonry front wall with three small windows and a fireplace. Originally, access to the cells would have been by ladder, but there is now a stone-cut path leading to them. These cells served as a refuge for the Priory of Wetheral during border raids, which is reflected in their nickname, "Safe Guards." Additionally, 25 meters south of the caves is a Roman inscription related to the 20th Legion Valeria Victrix, which was noted in a previous listing.
Local climate
St Constantine's Cells sits in a wetter-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 1,090 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 87% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 79% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 54 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 29 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
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- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings
- Statue of St Constantine, South of Corby Castle
- Tempietto, Corby Castle
- Salmon Coops to South of Corby Castle
- Wetheral Priory Gatehouse
- Byre Hill Farmhouse, Corby Castle Estate
- Dovecote to South East of Corby Castle
- Statue of Polyphemus, Corby Castle
- Wetheral Abbey Farm
- Walls of East Range of Wetheral Priory, East of Gatehouse
- Cascade to West of Corby Castle