Ironbridge kitchen Well Restoration

We have just returned from restoring a hand dug well located just next to Ironbridge.

We stayed in a lovely little village called Broseley Wood less then 500 meters from Ironbridge and the River Severn.

Broseley Wood has the Pipeworks museum which we visited a few years back. Unfortunately closed during this visit. More information on the Pipeworks museum can be found in the links below and you can also see them being made as well as order traditional hand made clay pipes.

http://www.broseleypipes.co.uk/

http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our-attractions/broseley-pipeworks/

The well had been filled in with builders rubble many years ago and because the well was located within the owners soon to be renovated kitchen they wanted the well cleaned and restored to enable lights and a glass top to be fitted.

The well was a common bottle shaped well which was dug and lined with large local bricks.

We managed to get to the bottom without too much problem, we found some lovely local tiles (unfortunately damaged) with the distinctive Craven Dunhill writing and beautiful logo which made us feel much closer to Ironbridge. More information on the Jackfield Tile Museum please see the links below. You can also see the tiles being made as well as purchase traditionally made Craven Dunhill Tiles.

http://www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk/

http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our-attractions/jackfield-tile-museum/

We fitted a light once we had fully emptied the well of debris and had cleaned the well top to bottom. You can see from the pictures that the light really does make a massive difference. The light system is a remote controlled, colour changing system so the client can change the colour to suit.

The floor of the well was a very big surprise to us. Although not the first we had seen, it was certainly the most beautifully finished well floor we had seen. The floor was bricked and not just bricks chucked down, they had been cut to fit and installed neatly. This shows the well diggers were experienced and enabled for easy servicing of the well in the future. To think that it was made like this but no one was to ever see it!

I think the pictures speak words and it will look amazing once the glass is fitted. I hope the client enjoys the well for many years, I know we will never forget it.

Unfortunately no before pictures 🙁