As we are still in the Feast of the Presentation I got to thinking about a train station. Yes, a train station. Every journey I make into the centre of London I pass “Ladywell” station. Some weeks ago I commented to G that I bet it was named for a well or spring associated in some way with the Theotokos – sure enough – records going back as far as the 15th century show a well (now demolished) dedicated to Mary.

A “well” you might ask? Sure as early as the fifth century Mary is associated with wells and fountains. More than likely it is a link between the idea of her surper abundant grace and the traditional pagan image of springs and groves with springs being associated with “the graces” that is to say these were beautiful and refreshing places. What is more – Mary as early as the fourth century is closely associated with the image of Paradise – from where all natrual graces flow into the World including the four rivers.

Mary is clearly associated with “places” generally – interestingly much of the mediaevil slavic hagiography I can think of associated with the Theotokos includes her popping into the saint’s line of sight and asking that a church be built for her “HERE”. I’ve long speculated that this is in part because unlike many other saints – there are relatively few relics associated with her.

This by way of walking into my “puzzle”.

Inspired by Ladywell station I thought it would be neat to sit down and find other pre-reformation sites in London associated with Mary. It took two days to find the information I wanted on Ladywell – and to date I’ve not found a single snippet of leading info about any other link with a site, shrine, image, or relic associated with Mary – save a statue in Covent Garden that gave its name to Maiden Lane.

I’ve looked on the net, I’ve looked in the BL catalogue, and I’ve looked in my own library thinking that out of all this, I would find one thing that would give me a push in the right direction. Surely with the number of churches (some of them quite old – and pre-reformation) in London dedicated to Mary at least one has a historic link to a vision, a miracle, a well or a shrine dedicated to her.

Any ideas?