Well well

[DaveBrigg]

I managed to enlist the help of a brother who is a keen caver last weekend, and explored the well in our garden. Fortunately the water level had dropped about 20 ft from the summer. The top is capped by a slab the size of a gravestone nearly 10 cm thick.

On the right is the lead pipe which was once connected to a pump inside the house. It is held centrally by a chain.

The brickwork at the top is mortared, but as soon as the sides straightened to vertical they were just built with bricks stacked on top of each other.

The well was dug into sand. At the bottom a brick had fallen out to reveal quite a large void behind, created by the sand slowly falling through the gaps in the bricks into the water. Despite this, and the lack of mortar, the sides seemed quite solid.

Looking up, the bell shaped roof can be seen.

If there are any well experts out there, can anyone explain whether the bricks were laid as the shaft was dug, or whether it was possible to dig down without the sides collapsing and then brick upwards?
Also, are there any clues that would help to date the well?

 

[Schoolmarm]

Does this link help?


http://www.mininginstitute.org.uk/papers/Well.html

 

[biffvernon]

What an interesting article - written at a time when 'cement' didn't just mean Ordinary Portland Cement.

My well looks to be made the same way as yours, Dave. It's in sand but not so deep, only about 10 feet.

 

[skier-hughes]

I haven't looked at ours yet..... I'm unlikely to look too closely either,a my fear of heights is restricting what work I do on the bridge let alone looking down a 40' well!!!

Our neighbours is just like yours, all brick, no mortar, I'm sure he said they were put in going downwards.

Graham

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Gosh, what a find. Are there any lucky treasures down there I wonder?

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Gosh, what a find. Are there any lucky treasures down there I wonder?

Be careful:

http://www.horrormasters.com/Text/a0452.pdf

 

[Tom]

Fantastic pictures!! I can't wait to re-open ours again now!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Jaqy

 

[Penners]

It looks to be in wonderful condition. Have you had the water tested?

 

[inwood]

Anyone remember seeing Fred Dibnah dig a well on his land? He used a steel ring which supported the brickwork above. For the life of me I can't remember exactly how he did it but it certainly looked impressive and in Fred's inimitable style made it look both easy and enjoyable. Not a job for a claustrophobic I think....

 

[Penners]

Fred's inimitable style made it look both easy and enjoyable

Yes, but then Fred made standing on top of a 200ft chimney look easy and enjoyable. :shock:

 

[Flyfisher]

Fred's project was modelled on traditional mineshaft techniques. Perhaps the same techniques were also used for wells, except I would guess mineshafts were generally much deeper than wells. It was documented in the BBC programme 'Dig With Dibnah'.

Sadly, he ran into planning problems and died before it could be finished.

 

[DaveBrigg]

Schoolmarm's link revealed this explanation for the lack of mortar: "the lime in the mortar, unless it be blue lias or equally hydraulic lime, will dissolve out into the water contained in the well, rendering the same very hard; besides, as will be seen when describing the manner of steining, the slow setting of the mortar is a bar to its general use."
It also describes adding the brickwork as the well is dug, with the friction between the bricks and the sides of the hole sufficient to keep them in place.
We didn't find any treasure (or any creatures with tentacles, Gareth :wink: ) but I was able to retrieve the nozzle from a water sprayer, used last summer by my four year old to test the diameter of the hole in the capping stone. It looked like the sand which had fallen through the bricks had filled the well to the depth of a couple of feet, so any civil war silver is likely to stay safe for a while yet.
I haven't had the water tested. I took a bottle down with me, and then foolishly stood waist deep in the water to sort out the rope. By the time I had the bottle ready, the water had turned from crystal clear to a murky brown.