Man Rips Up Living Room Floor and Uncovers a Hidden 17Foot Medieval Well
Stunned doesn’t even begin to cover it.
By definition, a well is a man-made cavity carved, drilled, or dug deep into the earth crafted to reach the vital lifeblood below: water. But here’s something most don’t know…
“During the medieval era, enemy forces would taint external wells often with a rotting corpse to break the will of those inside a fortress. But a well constructed within the castle walls? It was immune to such sabotage, offering a secure source of water even under siege.”
Imagine the possibility precious gemstones, ancient relics, and architectural remnants from the medieval era slumbering just beneath your feet.
That’s exactly what happened when a grandfather stumbled upon something astonishing beneath the living room floorboards of his Victorian residence in Plymouth, Devon.
Colin Steer unearthed a centuries-old medieval well its stone-lined depths concealing a forgotten sword embedded within the ancient walls.
When Colin moved into the home over three decades ago, a subtle depression in the floor immediately caught his eye barely noticeable, yet curiously out of place.
In a post, he recounted:
“The house dates back to around 1895, and we settled in back in 1988. While sprucing up the place and swapping out some floor joists, I noticed a dip near the bay window in our front room that just didn’t sit right.”
The 70-year-old grandad spent the last decade clearing the well.
While refreshing the décor in his living room, he noticed the dip again this time with sharper curiosity. As he dug just five feet beneath the surface, something remarkable emerged: an ancient sword.
“It was wedged in at a 45-degree angle,” he explained, “and sort of just dropped loose.”
The weapon bore the rugged signature of a bygone era. “It seems like a peasant’s makeshift blade,” he added, “fashioned from mismatched scraps of metal hammered crudely into form.”
He halted the excavation at 17 feet but who’s to say the well doesn’t plunge even deeper into the earth’s forgotten past?
Colin remarked,
“The shaft currently measures 17 feet in depth, and there’s still another four or five feet I plan to unearth once I finally carve out the time to do it.”
He recently unearthed a weathered ring and a coin dating all the way back to 1725.
He envisions eventually elevating the well’s stone walls into the heart of his living room transforming it into a one-of-a-kind coffee table centerpiece.
“I think it would make a stunning focal point for our front room,” Colin mused. “Though to this day, we’re still unsure of the well’s true origins.”
He noted that they had scoured old maps in hopes of tracing the well’s origins, but found no definitive clues.
“Given its size,” Colin speculated, “we’ve guessed it might have served as a shared water source perhaps for livestock or even two or three families.”
At the time of discovery, Colin had three young children, and his wife Vanessa insisted the well be sealed for safety. Years later, upon retiring in 2012, he returned to it with purpose embracing the mystery as a personal project and resuming the dig.
Meanwhile, a clear Perspex panel and a discreet trapdoor now seal off the 17-foot chasm nestled within the couple’s living room floor.
The couple’s grandchildren delight in gazing down the depths of the well through the transparent Perspex cover. According to Colin, it’s become quite the talking point among neighbors a conversation starter that never fails to spark curiosity.
The astonishing discovery within the home stirred widespread fascination and captured the imagination of all who heard the tale.
One observer remarked,
“Looks like it could’ve belonged to a castle those 2-foot-thick walls aren’t something you’d expect for a simple household well. If they investigate the area around it, there’s a good chance they’ll uncover remnants of larger stone walls.”
And this one is even happy to help.
“Very cool. I kinda want to help him dig it. I’m intrigued myself!”
See the well for yourself in the video below!
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Article Sources: YouTube – Caters Clips Daily Mail Wikipedia – Well
