Eager to become involved in the annual Well Dressing Festival, although the
evidence for the existence of a well was at best speculative, Clive and Cheryl
decided to go ahead on the premise that the most likely well site was in the
courtyard.The Well Hidden Secret of the Hawk & Buckle
January sees the start of the 2002 Well Dressing preparations, with the February Wine Tasting as our first fund-raising function. The Community Web Site
www.etwall.org now holds a nail to petal description of how well boards are constructed, why and how they are soaked and how the final floral tableaux are prepared. The reason for the title of this article will become apparent but to fully appreciate the tale about to unfold, a short history of well number eight would help.In 1998, shortly after their arrival in the village, Clive and Cheryl McIntyre decided to examine the plans of the Hawk and Buckle to see if there was any evidence of a well on their grounds. Etwall has over 70 known well sites within the village boundaries, and as far as is generally known, only Etta's Well on the village green is still wet. It was felt that given the age and history of the pub buildings, that there must have been at least one external source of water. The brewery plans seemed to indicate that a well had existed in the courtyard but no specific location was given. The more elderly locals were consulted to no avail, only “Old George” was positive. Against much opposition, George pointed to the drain by the entrance to the garden and said he was sure there had been one there and he also thought there had been one by the stables.
Eager to become involved in the annual Well Dressing Festival, although the
evidence for the existence of a well was at best speculative, Clive and Cheryl
decided to go ahead on the premise that the most likely well site was in the
courtyard.
Using just the top half of the main section of the old John Port board, and using the Cotton Arms as the topic, Etwall’s eighth well was resurrected and displayed in the pub courtyard for the 1999 Festival.
This was followed in 2000 by a larger display featuring a
footballer in honour of Euro 2000. This time they used all the main board area.
The Festival coincided with the launch of the pub web site
www.hawkandbuckle.com and
this was cunningly incorporated into the stadium message panels.
For 2001. they had intended to use the complete John Port set with side panels but unfortunately, during the process of dismantling the tableau, the board fell onto some nearby barrels and the weight of clay broke the board’s base putting it beyond any chance of repair.
Nothing daunted it was decided that the Hawk would have a new board for 2001. One of the regulars (Ken) undertook to build it and it was duly launched into the John Port lake last May, its bright new wood making a stark contrast to the battered, aged and dark frames of its elder kin.
The topic chosen for the 2001 festival was the new and recently named brig, the “Prince William” which is operated by the Sail Training Association. The local branch of this organisation appropriately meets in the Hawk and has sponsored a number of local young people, enabling them to experience the thrills of tall ship sailing. To help promote the STA and to support the Hawk's well, many of the local branch members attended the Festival with a display trailer loaded with information on Sail Training.
The construction and decoration of this well can be seen in detail by accessing
either the Etwall Well Dressing pages on the community Web Site Etwall.org or by
exploring the courtyard on the virtual pub tour featured on the Hawk and Buckle
web site.
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Now we come to the surprising bit.
To do this we must return to the entrance to the
Hawk’s “Secret Garden”, for until 27th November
nobody knew it's other secret!
As soon as he stamped on the area , the tarmac surface collapsed, revealing a large hole about 18 inches in diameter, which engulfed our man's leg up to his .... waist (painful). (Picture 2)
The hole turned out to be a 21 foot brick lined well shaft in pristine condition. It's depth estimated initially, by the time honoured practice of dropping a stone and waiting for the splash... and yes there was a splash. Not only was it a well it was also a wet one and the water depth has since been measured at a healthy three foot six. Examination of the pipe connections would indicate that they may have been altered about the time the kitchen block was extended. Our best guess for this on the basis of paper cuttings found in the walls is the very early 1940s maybe much earlier.
Etwall's mythical Eighth Well has become Etwall's second real one. (Picture 4)
Unfortunately, being right outside the access door to the cellar, Etwall's newest well was destined to be short lived. The need to deliver beer to the thirsty customers of the Hawk, which had no doubt gradually weakened the fragile well covering, meant that the Brewery's engineers had to cap the well much more safely than the Victorians had. Therefore within just a few hours of the last picture the men with the pickaxes moved in to assess the scale of their problem. (Picture 5) and (Picture 6)
The path to the secret garden has now been restored and the well safely hidden under a plain manhole cover with the words “Old Well” picked out in blue stone beneath it. Although hidden, it is no longer lost as the cover can be removed to inspect the well and maybe sometime in the future someway may be found to make this magnificent feature more accessible. (Picture 7)
Miraculously, the only injury was to a surveyor’s pride and our unsuspecting draymen can continue to deliver barrels and we can continue to eat our Bar-B-Q burgers on top of what was and maybe still is Etwall's second biggest functional well.
Web designer's footnote
When I joined the Well Dressing Association in
1989, the Festival featured eight wells, although not quite in their current
positions. One of the biggest well displays was prepared by “John Port
School” and was situated prominently, at the head of the lake.
The entrance door to the new school Arts block is probably the nearest feature
to the site.
In the early nineties (1993?), John Port authorities decided that they could no
longer participate, given the pressures of time and the National Curriculum and
the boards were put into storage until taken over by the Hawk in 1999.
Mike H
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The Hawk and Buckle Inn, 46 Main Street, Etwall, Derbyshire DE65 6LP
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