Couple renovating cottage discover 200-year-old well underneath hallway from chin photos Watch Video

⏲ Duration: 1:44
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✓ Published: 26-Apr-2024

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A couple were stunned to find a secret 200-year-old well underneath their hallway when they began renovating their cottage.<br/><br/>Victoria Ellington, 36, and her husband Andrew, 40, were amazed when they discovered the 27ft hole by the front door.<br/><br/>Once explored, they found that the well, which is thought to be centuries-old, still contained crystal-clear water.<br/><br/>The couple, from Redcar, North Yorks., couldn’t bear to cover up the feature so they decided to find a way to incorporate it into building.<br/><br/>After months of hard work, Victoria and Andrew managed to install a pump to create their very own wishing well, covered by protective glass.<br/><br/>The couple now rent the beach-front property, called Bute Cottage, to holidaymakers who can enjoy the quirky water feature.<br/><br/>Mum-of-two Victoria said: “We bought the cottage during the 2020 Covid lockdown and Andrew, who is a builder, started renovating it.<br/><br/>“We were planning to add an extension and build a family home but the foundations started slipping and we knew something was up.<br/><br/>“One day Andrew found this deep hole and realised it was quite a deep well right on top of the property by the front door.<br/><br/>“He was digging at the foundations and all the soil was falling into this hole. <br/><br/>“He just sent me a photo and said: 'Oh my god, have you seen this?'<br/><br/>“We knew then that we couldn’t build an extension so Andrew just decided to make it part of the building and we could rent the cottage out.”<br/><br/>Instead of paving over the well the couple covered it with a glass walkway and lined the walls of the shaft with lights.<br/><br/>Victoria, mum to Oscar five, and Henry, nine, said: “Our sons were excited about having a wishing well so we thought we should make that a reality.<br/><br/>\