Man who found well under his living room 30 years ago keeps digging in bid to find something else

Man who found well under his living room 30 years ago keeps digging in bid to find something else

Mangalore Today News Network

Sep 17, 2018; When Colin and Vanessa Steer moved into their dream terrace house in the 1980s the noticed a slight dip in the living room floor.

So when Colin was replacing the floor joists in the Plymouth home, he decided to have a little dig down to see what was going on and was amazed to discover a well.

The couple had three young children at the time, so decided to cover it up so it was safer for them.

But after Colin retired from his job in the civil service, he decided it was time to have another little look.

 

He soon found the hole was a lot bigger than he first thought, and with the help of a friend has now managed to dig down 17ft.

He said: "The hole was full of earth, but with the help of a neighbour, we have managed to get about 17ft deep.

"I always wanted to dig it out to see if I could find a pot of gold at the bottom, so when I retired that’s what I did.

 

 

"I was quite surprised really, I would have preferred it to be in the garden where I could have got at it a little easier."

Using a ladder and a bucket on a pulley system, it took them around six months to get to the depth it is at now.

Colin said: "We think it’s a bottle well. It’s 30 inches wide now and could go down another 5-6ft.

"I thought I’d found a sword around 4ft down - it was a wooden thing that must have had a leather sheath on it as you can see stitch holes. That’s why I want to get to the bottom. Who knows what’s down there.

"We have no idea when it was built. There could have been a couple of cottages here or it could have served a farm.

"I’d like to find something down the bottom, something to give me an age.

"I wish I had a Tardis to go back in time and see what was here."

The well is a talking point for friends and family of the Steer’s - some have even thrown money down it and made a wish.

But a well and a sword aren’t the only things the couple have discovered in their home.

In 2012, Colin was carrying out building work in the back garden when he unearthed two German incendiary devices with his shovel.

A bomb disposal team evacuated the property, including both the front and back garden, as they carried the two devices out in sand boxes before taking them to be vapourised at a safe location.

For now, Colin said he will keep going until he reaches the bottom of the well, and he’s more than happy for people to go and have a look.

Courtesy: London Mirror