Well, would you look at that! Couple stunned to find secret 200-year-old well that goes 27ft underground after they started renovating their cottage
- Victoria Ellington, 36, and her husband Andrew, 40, discovered the old well
A couple were stunned to find a secret 200-year-old well that goes 7 meters underground after they started renovating their cottage.
Victoria Ellington, 36, and her husband Andrew, 40, discovered the old well while doing work on their property they bought during the pandemic.
The couple, from Redcar in North Yorkshire, decided to incorporate the characterful feature – believed to be centuries old – into the building rather than cover it up.
It still contained crystal clear water and after months of hard work they managed to install a pump that allowed them to create their own wishing well, covered with protective glass.
Victoria Ellington, 36, and her husband Andrew, 40, discovered the old well while working on their cottage they bought during the pandemic
The couple, from North Yorkshire, decided to incorporate the characterful feature into the property rather than cover it up
It still contained crystal clear water and after months of hard work they managed to install a pump to create their own wishing well
The couple even added a slot to the quirky water feature to make wishes through.
Mum-of-two Victoria said: ‘We bought the cottage during the 2020 Covid lockdown and Andrew, a builder, started renovating it.
“We were planning to add an extension and build a family home, but the foundation started to shake and we knew something was up.
‘One day Andrew found this deep hole and realized it was quite a deep pit, right on top of the property, near the front door.
“He was digging the foundation and all the soil fell into this hole.
“He just sent me a picture and said, ‘Oh my God, have you seen this?’
‘We knew then that we couldn’t build an extension, so Andrew decided to make it part of the building and we were able to rent out the cottage.’
Instead of covering the well, the couple covered it with a glass walkway and lined the walls of the shaft with lighting.
Victoria said: ‘Our sons were excited about having a wishing well so we thought we should make that a reality.
Andrew tried to measure the well at the cottage – it is estimated to be about 27 feet deep
The pit is now covered with glass, allowing guests to see all the way through the 8-meter-high hole
‘We have installed lights along the walls of the pit and the glass has been tempered.
‘We can pump water into the well and we have a place where people can make wishes.
‘You can see to the bottom. Andrew tried to measure a few times and I think it’s about 7 meters deep.’
The couple completed the renovation earlier this month and Victoria added: ‘The well makes it a bit different. When I saw it I was completely blown away and every time I see it I absolutely love it.”