Mysterious well unearthed in historic building

WORKERS have discovered a well inside one of Gloucester’s oldest buildings.

The Folk in Westgate Street is undergoing a £74,000 restoration and workers there recently came across something unexpected hidden under a large capping stone,

Building restorer Kevin Cross, who is part of the Corbel team working for the Gloucester Civic Trust to preserve the building, found the well when work was underway to install a wheelchair lift inside. It is in the middle building where the cow stood looking over the gate. The wooden floor in this area has been removed as well as the possibly Victorian tiles below.

Alex Cooke, operations manager at The Folk of Gloucester, said: “As the tiles were lifted they revealed a large capping stone similar to a large paving slab. Work proceeded more delicately to move around the stone and then remove the tiles on top. When the stone was light enough it was carefully lifted to reveal a well.

“The Civic Trust works closely with the Cathedral Quarter and the Heritage officer at the Gloucester City Council as well as the City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong.

“We know very little about this well. The stones are beautifully laid in a circle and the board can be seen below in the water. This might have been used to stand on to lay the bricks.

“The bricks are machine made and could be between 120 and 250 years old. Which might mean the well is this age too. The well is seven metres deep and the water is clear. It doesn’t appear on any modern plans for the building. So it is a mystery.

“We look forward to making sure we can display it for others to enjoy.”