This timelapse captures the reopening of a well first recorded in Archaeologia in 1782 and recently rediscovered within Newark Castle’s gatehouse.
Archaeologists from PCA Newark have recently rediscovered a well during monitoring works inside the gatehouse at Newark Castle.
The earliest known reference to the well comes from a plan published in Archaeologia in 1782, where it is illustrated and briefly described as being ‘still open’.
Investigations suggest the well was later partially infilled and repurposed as a capped cistern, with a stone drainage channel feeding into it. The cistern appears to have fallen out of use during the late 19th century before being covered over completely.
A few weeks ago, archaeologists and stonemasons worked together to reopen the feature, while members of Lincoln Caving Club assisted in collecting samples from the fills. These should help establish when the well was finally infilled and may reveal more about its history.
