St Helen's well (Quaker Well) - North Cave
(SE 8946 3277)

This holy well is located behind Quaker Cottage and lies some 250 yds to the west of North Cave church (All Saints). Today the well is also known as Quaker well, but the Rev. Smith (1923) records that the older inhabitants knew it as St Helen's Well (which is also shown on the early OS maps). Quaker Cottage is on the site of a Quaker meeting house, which also had a small burial ground near it and so the name became attached to the well. The well has been created around one of several springs that break out along the side of a low bank behind the cottage.

On a visit to the well in May 2000 it looked very much as it had done in 1988, a few steps lead down to a short walled passage with the well chamber at floor level against the end wall. In the Rev Smiths day the well was roofed over, however some of the brick and stone work are now missing from the passage, but this adds to general charm of the well - which is still looked after by the nearby residents.
There was a good flow of water exiting an overflow pipe a few yards from the well and this water seeps away to join a marshy stream, but the water in the well looked a little stale, as if the spring water was not circulating in the chamber properly, so this may require a clean out.