The Story

Rev Alison Hobbs writes:

In 1978, my mother purchased this amazing medieval-cum-Regency castle as a warehouse for the family book publishing company. Being a builder at heart, I was drawn into renovating and developing the castle in a more hands-on way than my other six siblings. Following our mother’s death in 2014, we continue to manage the building as an extensive family enterprise.

... why we are called, ‘The Community of the Well' ... ?

In 2018, I took a 3-week retreat to ponder the steps God might be calling me towards.

The sculpture at Chester Cathedral of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at the well (John 4: ) informed my direction on many levels. I needed to form a small community, and the assurance was, “Communion will build Community”.

Rev Alison Hobbs was licensed as Director of the Community of the Well in 2022. As an already experienced spiritual director, she trained at St Beuno’s for directing Individually Guided Retreats, works with similarly trained guest directors, and St Antony’s Priory, Durham.

Immediately, I started daily Eucharist at the castle, and God was as good as His Word: community emerged, so our name links us to the meeting at the well.

At the well, Jesus promises to be Living Water bringing long-lasting refreshment and new life: we want you to taste some of that here. At the well, and for two days following, Jesus met with those who hardly knew of Him: we welcome those who are tentative as much as those of long-discipled faith.

In 2009, I followed a calling to ordained ministry in the Church of England, that sat alongside a strong sense that God gives us gifts to use, and the castle was just such a gift. The suggestion was made that it would be a great space for retreats, and so my training in ministry kept that in view. I’m a cautious, slow-moving disciple (I would have been the one coming along at the back with the packed lunches!) so it was only after a decade of Parish Ministry and some years of training and experience as a Spiritual Director that I embarked on the Community of the Well, and provision for offering individually guided retreats.

The Community of the Well is a partially residential Christian Community: some of us live at the castle, others nearby. We meet for worship and different aspects of our work of sharing God with others through retreats and day visitors.