A husband and wife have gone viral after making a shocking discovery whilst renovating their family home: an ancient 17ft foot well.
Despite the property being owned by the same family for three generations, no one was aware of the design feature which lay undiscovered for 40 years. Although at first it seemed the well was filled with only rubbish, the well had a shocking secret to reveal as the couple continued to dig downwards.
After sharing their story on Tik Tok, the couple’s video has gone viral with over 21.6 million views on the social media platform.
The husband and wife first made the discovery in February, when renovating their former coach house to install underfloor heating in their kitchen.
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When excavating the foundations, they found a leak that they wrongly presumed was due to faulty plumbing, as it dates back to 1700s. It was then that they hit a brick wall (literally!).
Realising that they’d uncovered a well, they shared their story on TikTok, under the name @mortylad, and have been documenting their progress ever since.
Whilst most of us wouldn’t be too thrilled by the costly setback, the husband-and-wife duo are amateur metal detectorists and were excited to find out more about their property’s rich history.
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According to the couple, the former coach house had been passed down through three generations over the last 40 years but no one had been aware of what lay beneath.
Even getting in touch with the previous owners hadn’t helped, as they were also shocked by the news of the discovery.
It was safe to assume that it had been filled with rubble from the last rebuild, possibly as recently as 70 or 80 years ago, although they can’t be sure.
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Fans in the comments had initially joked about the couple uncovering the girl from The Ring, but there was still a frightening discovery – bubbles.
Though they sound harmless, bubbles are often an indicator of a gas leak, so the couple had to invest in an expensive gas detector before continuing their exploration.
Thankfully, it was safe to carry on and though it’s ‘relatively short’ for a well, at just 17ft (5m) deep, it held some incredible artefacts.
This included three intact brandy bottles, which are thought to be over 100 years old.
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Parts of a chamber pot and other ceramic fragments were also found, as well as the lead from the property's original windows.
The couple have now installed additional bricks and their highly anticipated underfloor heating, as they turn the ancient well into an incredible interior design feature.
Guess there’s no use crying over spilled water, eh?
Katherine Sidnell