So the other half wants a corner of the garden to sit in. Nice and sheltered from the wind,
a little sun trap where she can sup her cup of tea and watch the world go by.

Step one was to remove the greenhouse. We never used it anyway.

Step two was hack through the undergrowth ready for the paved area where the wooden bench is to go.

That's when the broken stone slab came to light.
Soon shift that I thought. Oo er, a hole. Well, well, well.

So what do I do?

Fill it in? Knock the top rows of bricks off and cover it?

Or add a few rows of bricks and make a feature of it, and pave round it?

Wish, (sorry,) I knew what to do.

Any ideas?

Paul G
Rescued attachment well-007-s.jpg

How about digging it deeper?
You might have your very own water supply!
You might not be able to drink it, but watering the garden will be cheaper than your tap.

quote:

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Originally posted by nitram38
How about digging it deeper?
You might have your very own water supply!
You might not be able to drink it, but watering the garden will be cheaper than your tap.

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An odd concept that, a well on the topof a hill: hmmm

I suggest you check the previous owners of the house and garden and ask for the use of this "build with briks" hole...

Maybe that hole is the "top" of a deep well and its is filled in purpose to hide a "crime".
Or maybe a tunnel to... the unknown underground!!!

just kidding... I did non ment to scare you.


Sincerely, I think it's just the top of an old well. You can make a nice fountain out of it and maybe drop some goldfishes

I'd make it bigger and make a feature of it. Big brick built jobbie with a seat all the way round? Or, build it up a bit, give it a roof and then recess the seat into it? Under cover and a feature.

First of all, I've lived here 30 odd years so it's not been touched in that time.
Maybe it was filled and the level has dropped due to compaction.


It looks like it was once a round well and the top at some time was altered to an oblong man hole & smaller square hole.
A metal pipe exits the small hole and has been bent over. Maybe a hand pump or wind pump???

Paul G
Rescued attachment well-011-s.jpg

Send THESE GUYS in

Now you've done it...
Rescued attachment samara_well1.jpg

could be an old original rainwater collector built with the house to provide water for domestic use. The last house I had before this one was a Victorian terrace built in 1890, that had one out the back that collected water for the terrace originally. Mine was too close to the house & half in next door to 'do' anything with. Personally I would be tempted to excavate it, build up the top and fit it with either a metal grille top or a vented glass top/ table like. So that it makes a unique dining/drinking/relaxing area.
Also you never know what useless bits & pieces you might find in thew bottom.

you could just put a seat down there for the other half as you said its sheltered
sun trap and when she's down there ( more time for you spend on the next build )
lol

i would make a feature out of it
it would be a shame to cover it
cheers
colin

how can you resist not digging it out????

If you don't for years to come you will always have that nagging doubt 'Does it really go all the way to the bottom of the hill?!'

quote:

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
how can you resist not digging it out????

If you don't for years to come you will always have that nagging doubt 'Does it really go all the way to the bottom of the hill?!'

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That's a great find!

I'd recommend a visit to Alnwick Gardens for inspiration!

They have a fountain there which is in a lined shaft, just like your's, with water in the bottom few feet, then some spot lights, then a sheet of really thick glass on the top of it. You can walk over the top of it, as the water shoots up the middle, bounces off the glass and drops back down. Unfortunatley it doesn't photograph very well and it's not very locost.

Cheers

Mike

Your other half wanted a quiet place to sit. Pave the bottom with slabs, put a chair their. Job done.

quote:

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Originally posted by iank

quote:

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
how can you resist not digging it out????

If you don't for years to come you will always have that nagging doubt 'Does it really go all the way to the bottom of the hill?!'

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Sounds like someone read too much Enid Blyton as a child or are you volunteering?

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Hi All

Thanks for the replies.

I live about 200m from a church. Behind the church is a farmhouse which used to be a monastery.
The other side of the church is a big pond called Monks Pond. This is the same level as my house
and has a spring under it.
Water overflows from this pond 10 months of the year into a ditch that runs down the hill.

When I say I'm on a hill, it's really a plateau of about a square mile, and I'm on the edge.
(I've always lived life on the edge. )

Lots of good ideas, although the wife didn't think much to sitting inside it.

I like the table top one the best.

Suffolk Reds are not going to be locost though.

Any more?

Paul G

It would make one monster barbeque just use an old iron gate as the grill

Line it and make a jacuzzi/hot tub where she can sit.

I'd excavate it... Looks fairly dry stuff down there- I'd be tempted to chuck a bit of water down to soften it up before getting spade out.....

I'd use it to store rainwater for watering my tomatoes

Well I never. Short of calling in Tony Robinson, I think you should excavate all the brick work, reconstruct it running horizontally on the front lawn and, hey presto, you have a wind tunnel.

Either that or turn it into a porn dungeon...

quote:

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Originally posted by the_parson
Well I never. Short of calling in Tony Robinson, I think you should excavate all the brick work, reconstruct it running horizontally on the front lawn and, hey presto, you have a wind tunnel.

Either that or turn it into a porn dungeon...

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It could have been a cess pit if it had a vented lid

quote:

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Originally posted by Peteff
It could have been a cess pit if it had a vented lid

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a few more funny suggestions :
1. Why don't you call ghostbusters to check it out before you dig deeper? just in case...
2. You can place one of those yellow "Fbi-Investigation" tapes to a perimeter around the well and put a sign saying "Don't come close, it is still hungry". That would work as an attraction also!
3. Have you ever thought that it may be the exit from an ancient underground tunnel that connected your backyard to the monastery? Some monasteries and castles also had that kind of hidden exit tunnels so they can survice an attack and used them as run away exits at times of great danger...
If that is true... you might find down there some underground rooms and maybe
some really worthy artifacts...

Maybe you should start.... digging!
Carefully though , because it might collapse and take you down... for safety reasons put a rope around your weist or even better get a climbing kit of ropes and the rest stuff....

now... i gave you a digging project for the
summer !!!
George

Don't waste your time on it Paul. Get the car done!! we all want to see it on the road

It's a bit vertical for that , they usually have staircases or ladders

One thing I have thought of doing is to rig up an A frame and winch out the metal pipe.
Whatever I do this pipe must be removed or cut off, but if I could pull it out, possibly complete with pump,
I would know how deep it is should I decide to dig it out.

The soil at the bottom is very soft, almost like compost, so maybe garden waste has been thrown in at
some point in the distant past.


I now know what vivid imaginations some of you have.

atb
Paul G


p.s. Still working on the car Rusty, well sort of.
Made a pipe bending former today for the front mudguard stays.

Trust they will be stronger than mine?

quote:

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Originally posted by ReMan

An odd concept that, a well on the topof a hill: hmmm

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quote:

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Originally posted by the_parson

Either that or turn it into a porn dungeon...

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all that crap in your garage you've got to get rid of? All that rubble from the extension you had to get rid of? Any and all building waste from diy over the next twenty years? You now have a big old hole to chuck it down, just fill over with mud once it's full.

Hi All


I thought I'd update this thread with a progress pic.

First of all, I'm no bricklayer, but I know a man that is.

I'm thinking of a wrought iron grill with a disc of glass on top.


We're looking forward to the summer evenings, a couple of reclining chairs, and a glass or two of cool beer balanced on the edge.

Image deleted by owner

Happy Christmas
Paul G


[Edited on 23/12/07 by 907]

Cooo! Very posh!

(I seem to recall that you had a table over it at last year's BBQ... )

I found a hole in my garden at my old house, so I dug it out, and it turned out to be the original brick septic tank for the house. All the neighbours had one as well.
It was filled in when they connected the house to the mains sewers in the 1950's.

I thought I might have found a well... but well... it wasnt

Pic looks good... nice feature in the garden.

[Edited on 23/12/2007 by wilkingj]