The Woodingdean well is located just outside the Nuffield Hospital on Warren Road, Woodingdean, Brighton BN2 6DX.
The well stands around 1m high and has a flint and brick wall around it as well as a white safety ‘cap’ to prevent people or things falling down it.
The Woodingdean well was originally dug to provide water for a workhouse at the top of Elm Grove and a ‘school for juveniles at Warren Farm’. The well is 390m (1285m) deep and is little more than a meter wide. In true Dickensian style the well was hand dug by members of the local workhouse and was apparently carried out for 24 hours with candlelight as the only source of light. It took four years to dig the well. Work commenced in March 1858
The following is an extract from 'Woodingdean 2,000 reflections and the millennium' by Peter Mercer
- '1858... Well digger Samuel North Commenced sinking the well in March..
- 1859 Work stopped on the well at a depth of 417'3'' (sea level). Work transferred to the Guardians Surveyor and Mr Huggett his Supervisor continued the sinking to a depth of 1285ft. One worker was killed, his wife received £6.8.0 compensation. One hundred and twenty men from the Old Workhouse in Dyke Road engaged in sinking the well were presented with silver medals. Mr Huggett received a gold Medal' ...
- 1862 Water found on Sunday 16th March at a depth of 1285ft. Men escaped near certain death as water rose 400 feet in first hour....all the churches in Brighton rang their bells to celebrate the occasion...
The now relatively unimpressive exterior hides what is still the worlds deepest hand dug well. The well is as deep as the empire state building is tall.The link above shows the front of the Nuffield Hospital – the well can be seen immediately in front of the middle ground floor window .. Google maps_woodingdean_well This feature on My Brighton and Hove gives details of the history of the Woodingdean well www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk There is a slightly silly video that was put together for the 2016 Woodigndean Pantomime ALadIn Woodingdean – that shows the journey from the Scout hut to the well you can see that here www.youtube.com/Journey_to-the_well The hospital stands on grounds previously occupied by The Fitzherbert Roman Catholic school. For more information about the Fitzherbert school see https://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk
You can find out more about some of the relics that remain from the 4 year dig at Museum Crush 'Relics of the deepest hand dug well in the world' - 'The Brighton Corporation who decided to build Warren Farm School faced the tricky decision of how to supply fresh water to the institution - So the Woodingdean Well 'turned out to be a rather elaborate cost-cutting exercise. Work started in March 1858 and the original plan was to dig a 400ft shaft (to sea level). At 400ft there was no sign of water - they kept digging until March 1862 (4 years) when they finally hit green sand - there is a sample of the green sand taken from Warren Farm Well in the Royal Pavilion & Musuems. Other relics include; A clay vase, A vial of water from the first pailful drawn, a commeretive coin
-
The Woodingdean Well, (Outside the) Nuffield Hospital, Warren Road, Woodingdean, Brighton BN2 6DX
Other features you may enjoy about Woodingdean: Is woodingdean-nice-place-live/ or Woodingdean-bucking-the-disappearing-great-british-high-street-trend/#more-157