General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

In 1953, one of our lorries was used as a float in Elizabeth II coronation festivities. Procession terminated on the Whithill, then grassed land between Barth Springs and St Peter's School.(good illustration of location in places: Bryn)

When all had alighted, we were asked to park up close up to doors of a wooden shed, to exclude access. Apparently it was to guard against anyone drowning.

I was shown inside after people had departed, and we were recovering the lorry. Inside was a water-filled hole, covered with old railway sleepers.

At the time, I assumed it to be a vehicle inspection pit that had filled with flood water. This is probably because we had vehicle inspection pits, some of which had in times past filled with flood water, and had required pumping out.

It was only many years later that I started to question my judgment. Was it the sort of shape that you would want such a facility to be? Was it a place you would be likely to locate such a pit?

So, I found myself posing the question, Was it the remains of Skelton Well?

After all, it was in the correct location.

The question I asked on WW is:

Anyone know when/how Skelton well ceased to be used?

Cholera put lots of wells out of use in late 19th and early 20th Century, though such wells often were capped.

Don't know if the railway sleepers would be considered capping.

Victorians had their spree of constructing reservoirs, enabling local corporations to distribute piped water to properties. Wells which became redundant in this manner would not be subject to same urgency with respect to capping.

Over the years, I have searched for more information about Skelton Well, but found very little.