Malmesbury Community Groups Join Forces to preserve riverside heritage. A popular riverside beauty spot in Malmesbury, named after a 9th century monk, is being acquired by Malmesbury Town Council. All with the aim of restoring and preserving it for local people for generations to come.
Daniel’s Well and surrounding farmland bordering the River Avon is being bought by an alliance of local groups. They comprise:
- Malmesbury Town Council
- St Paul Malmesbury Without Parish Council
- Malmesbury League of Friends
- and Malmesbury River Valleys Trust, with support from Malmesbury Civic Trust.
The site of the site
The 8.5 acre site stretches from Foxley Road, along the river towards the bank opposite St Aldhelm’s Mead. It forms part of Malmesbury’s scenic river walk. It gets its name from a 9th century monk and disciple of Aldhelm, called Daniel. He had a daily ritual of submerging himself in the cold well water. The well is still present, but is currently capped.
Until now, the land has been part of Daniel’s Well Farm. That’s for sale too and Malmesbury town councillor, Cllr Steve D’Arcy is leading negotiations to buy it.
We’ve long wanted to get this land. To restore and preserve it for the local people of Malmesbury. So when the farm came up for sale this was a perfect opportunity,’ said Cllr D’Arcy. ‘It’s a popular place for walkers, dog owners and people in general and is a wonderful facility for the town.’
The restoration plans
Restoration plans will include:
- tree planting
- repairing the riverbank, and restoring a stone clapper bridge damaged by flooding. Longer term, the team hope to make the area accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Andy Kyte, of Malmesbury River Valleys Trust, said: ‘Our mission is to protect the natural environment in the Avon Valleys surrounding Malmesbury. It’s our belief that this purchase secures a great future for flora and fauna. We look forward to working with the team to make this vision real.’
The land sits within St Paul Malmesbury Without Parish Council. But Malmesbury Town Council will become the new owner. There are plans to set up a small working group to identify restoration work needed, with invitations to go to local builders and farmers to tender. There’ll then be a public presentation of plans and the creation of a voluntary group to manage the area.
Cllr Roger Budgen, on behalf of St Paul Malmesbury Without Parish Council, said: ‘We support this initiative. Not only for the benefits already mentioned, but as means of preserving the much-loved pedestrian route into town for parish residents living in Foxley and Common Roads.’
Keith Maslin, on behalf of Malmesbury League of Friends, added: ‘Our trustees are delighted to be able to support this exciting project. It’s an invaluable area of land, crucial to the future of accessibility of public open space around the town. There’s no doubt there’s a lot of work needed to make this area accessible to all, but we look forward to providing whatever help we can to facilitate this.’
We must make sure that Malmesbury will be kept in the community for generations to come. My grandchildren love spending time in Malmesbury shopping and going to the great eating places
Daniel’s Well is certainly a lovely spot. I live in Swindon so hadn’t heard of it. It’s v beautiful.