Forgotten Victorian water well hidden on farmland at Standish Lower Ground, Wigan

Mr H goes goes on an impromptu bimble through the fields of Standish Lower Ground in Wigan to search for a Victorian water well that once supplied water to a nearby farm in the area but now lies forgotten and abandoned beneath a hedgerow.
#historylovers
#historyuncovered
#heritage

[@gwinniboots]

Well done again, Mr H! Love your vids. 👍👍

[@garycanning7015]

I love the iron work around it . The old lockdown vlogs i remember them well That's how i found the channel.

[@richardhinchliffe1678]

Great little vlog once again Mr H always great finding bits of history around the country and sharing them thanks love the videos you do look forward to the next one 👍

[@PaulHowarth-p6s]

That kissing gate, rough blacksmithing when blacksmithing was primitive. The drawn out arrow heads on the bar ends not two the same, riveted together. Absolutely stunning still doing the job 150 years later.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Paul, as others have said the kissing gate and fence are just as interesting as the well is. Although the Blacksmithing is primitive and crude by todays manufacturing standards the craftsmanship is superb for the era that it was built in and as you say it's still doing the job 150 years or so later despite receiving little to no maintenance. I am surprised though that it managed to escape being cut up for the war effort during WW2 unless it was simply overlooked due to it's remote location.

[@mattwuk]

After rewatching I can't help feeling at 08:40 we are looking at the outside of the actual well, the curve of the left side of the wall and the actual well is on the right hand of that, underneath the trees you quote 'this little area is well overgrown' and filled in i believe is where the actual well was. I hope that makes sense. Look at the way the stonework curves. I might be wrong of course and am happy to stand corrected. Great video.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Matt, the local historian that made me aware of the well forwarded me some photographs last night taken in 2009 when he;d managed to crawl inside when the water level was low. Apparently it is what is known as a 'Dip Well' with access to it being down some stone steps now covered in silt which are located in the opening shown in the video behind the gate. Once below ground level there is then a small opening into the actual well chamber which is circular and directly in front of the stone steps leading down to it. You would then 'dip' a bucket into the well fill it with water and carry it back up to the surface. This is how these wells get their name. The well chamber location is actually under the public footpath on the side of the hedgerow that I first approach the well from and I must have unwittingly walked over it! Pity that it is flooded at this time of year and it's one to stick into the old noggin for the dry summer months when a revisit may be in order.

[@mattwuk]

@@MrHsHotPot good stuff

[@cherylbostock9265]

My maternal grandparents lived in a house with a well in the back kitchen and my grandad built a cover to put over it not far from where I live

[@HELVIS.]

Maybe a good candidate to drop a magnet down to recover history artifacts?

[@JohnStone-b2u]

The stone work has a stone mason's mark on it (a hand print) the story goes that a little girl fell in to the well and the mark in the stone is her hand print........ must have be a warning to the locals to keep their children away from the well. Yet another great vlog!!

[@mattwuk]

I've always enjoyed working out exactly where your videos are Mr H and even went through a phase of posting the coordinates in the comments on the videos, they got deleted, not sure if it was yourself or a KZbin policy but either way I'm not bothered, your or KZbins perogative. I'll find this 😉 don't worry, I'll not post it as per your preference.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Matt, I've never had a problem with you posting the coordinates of the locations of my videos unless I'd stated that I was deliberately not making a location public such as the grave of a celebrity etc. so it hasn't been me who has been deleting your posts. Unless your posts have violated KZbin's fickle policy for some reason the only other reason I can think of for KZbin deleting them is that someone has been making mischief and deliberately reporting them to KZbin. Anyway good luck with your sleuthing I'm sure you'll manage to find it. 😉

[@mikego18753]

Thumbs up.The Gate makes the vid! how old is that.Thanks.

[@MrHsHotPot]

Hi Mikego, glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍 You are right regarding the gate being just as fascinating as the well. My guess is the gate and fence date from at least the late 1800's and they was probably forged and built by a local Blacksmith as there are no welds holding it together only rivets. Another clue that they were forged rather than manufactured is if you look closely at the pickets they differ slightly in width and have been riveted into place at slightly different intervals along with the spikes differing in size. That said the craftsmanship is superb and it must have looked impressive when it was complete and in use. I also wonder how it managed to escape being cut up for the war effort during WW2?

[@mikego18753]

@MrHsHotPot Thanks mate.I wonder if there were houses nearby that have gone?