St Edward's Well (?). Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, England
Stow on the Wold is a hill top town, its church visible for many miles in all directions. Such a site meant water was always an issue. Down Well Lane, just a few hundred yards north east of the town is this great stone tank, the main source of water for the town for many centuries. Women and children carried water with yoke and bucket from the spring and Water carts plied between Well Lane and the town where the water was sold to the townsfolk at the price of a farthing a bucket. Several systems had been tried to force water up the hill including windmills, horse-mills and water wheels but all failed. In 1871, Joseph Chamberlayne-Chamberlayne, lord of the manor, donated £2000 to the town for a deep well to be bored and this was a success, but mains water didn't arrive in the town until 1937.
The crystal-clear water still gushes from a natural spring into the deep stone tank, and the outlet is a hole beneath it, just below the pumpkin. It has never been known to fail.
I'm confused by the various listings. British Listed Buildings has this as St. Edward's (Stow) Well, but there is another St. Edward's Well on the other side of town near Maugersbury.) British History Online seems to refer to it as Upper Well, also known as White Pump, but with no mention of it as St. Edward's.
St Edward's Well (?). Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire, England
Stow on the Wold is a hill top town, its church visible for many miles in all directions. Such a site meant water was always an issue. Down Well Lane, just a few hundred yards north east of the town is this great stone tank, the main source of water for the town for many centuries. Women and children carried water with yoke and bucket from the spring and Water carts plied between Well Lane and the town where the water was sold to the townsfolk at the price of a farthing a bucket. Several systems had been tried to force water up the hill including windmills, horse-mills and water wheels but all failed. In 1871, Joseph Chamberlayne-Chamberlayne, lord of the manor, donated £2000 to the town for a deep well to be bored and this was a success, but mains water didn't arrive in the town until 1937.
The crystal-clear water still gushes from a natural spring into the deep stone tank, and the outlet is a hole beneath it, just below the pumpkin. It has never been known to fail.
I'm confused by the various listings. British Listed Buildings has this as St. Edward's (Stow) Well, but there is another St. Edward's Well on the other side of town near Maugersbury.) British History Online seems to refer to it as Upper Well, also known as White Pump, but with no mention of it as St. Edward's.