At the West end of the grounds of the Church of St. Nicholas' in Harbledown is the Black Prince's Well. The picture above shows the key stone which has the three feathers which appeared on the arms of the Black Prince together with the motto underneath, "Ich Dien". The picture on the top left is a picture of the well today and underneath that is a picture taken about fifty or so years ago.

In the earlier picture the area which contains the water had more stone around it and is circular, making it look slightly more like a well although in reality it is not a well as such but a small spring, there are quite a number in this area. Although there is algae in the water, the water itself is actually quite clear.

One account of this well states that approximately 150 years ago, there was not a keystone with the arms of the Black Prince but that the particular stone has been added between then and now. Obviously, it was already there fifty years ago. In the older picture, there are several other pieces of broken masonry on the top of the well. Many of these have grooves in them as if they had been taken from the surround of a window. In addition, the very top of the key stone curves the wrong way and does not follow the curve of the top of the well which also suggests that it was brought from elsewhere and replaced an earlier stone. Some of the glass in the Church was replaced with 14th Century glass in the 19th Century, purchased from elsewhere in Canterbury (possibly the old Hales Place). It is therefore also possible that the stone on top of the well arrived with the glass. The stone over the feathers does not appear on really early pictures of The Well and has been cemented there in the last fifty years.

The Well and the Church were a place for pilgrims to stop prior to completing the final mile or so into Canterbury. It is said that the Black Prince visited and drank from the Well in 1357. It is said to have healing properties for eye complaints and also leprosy. As I have said elsewhere, The Black Prince is said to have suffered from a mild form of leprosy. As he lay on his death bed in Westminster, he asked that some water from the Well at Harbledown be brought to him. I can't tell you whether it ever made it to him in time.

See also:	The Village of Harbledown
	St. Nicholas' Chapel