Katherine Well

River Pettrill (20)

We set off to find a place where I could take a particular photo that I wanted and came upon this well, one that I have had marked on the map for a while. 

Most people who travel on the M6 near Carlisle will know of Southwaite for its Service Station, but it is actually a little village in its own right. The River Petterill runs through Southwaite and there is a rather nice bridge. But today we took a minor road out of the village, which led down to Raughton Gill, a beck that runs into the Petterill. And there, by the beck, is Katherine Well.

It was built in1866 by a cousin of Sarah Losh (of Wreay Church fame), in memory of her sister Katherine. He designed it in the way that Sarah would have liked, with her typical rounded arches. The inscription reads:

THIS WELL WAS BUILT IN MEMORY OF
KATHERINE LOSH OF WOODSIDE WREAY
FOR THE WATERING OF HORSES 
WHICH USED THE ROAD

RESTORED BY MEMBERS OF THE PARISH 1970
 
At a time of horse transport such troughs would have been essential roadside features. Interesting to look at it today and to listen . . . 

. . . at the top of the banking you can see in the picture is the M6. Evidence of two very different modes of transport. And not such a peaceful seat as it looks!