Following his books on the sacred wells of Wales and Cornwall, Phil Cope journeys through the borderlands of England and Wales, from Cheshire to Monmouthshire, the Dee to the Severn. His discoveries are recorded in striking, atmospheric photographs, accompanied by the remarkable histories of the wells, and the legends attached to them.
Wronged suitors, magic horses, Dark Age battles, the reign of King Arthur, and innumerable decapitations feature among the vividly magical tales. The healing wells of the Christian saints then give way to the health spas of Victorian times, and the renewed intrigue in pagan culture in the 20th century.
Phil Cope is a photographer, writer and teacher. The designer of several major exhibitions and books, his recent books include a guide to the 2012 Olympics, Following the Flame (2011), and Holy Wells: Cornwall (Seren, 2011).