| Gordon G Hall |
| Writer and Neo-Philhellene
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The Silverdale Wanders All walks start and finish at Silverdale Green by the parish notice board. |
| Walk Nine
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In search of Wells A fairly easy walk except for a bit of a struggle up through Wood Bank
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In days gone by villages did not of course have piped water. They relied on wells. So I thought I would set off to look for a few wells around Silverdale We start off along Bottoms lane again, but this time take the first path, signed Burton Well The path is easy and is just broad enough for a horse and cart, which would no doubt be needed to bring water up to the villagers |
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And this is where the local carrier would have backed his horse-drawn cart to fill his water butts. . |
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And water would be collected from this stagnant cistern! I daresay it was a lot fresher in those days, and I think that it was fed by a spring, so it would not have been stagnant. All the same you can see why years ago country people preferred 'small beer', which was very low in alcohol but a good deal safer to drink that water. |
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In fact mains water did not arrive in Silverdale until the 1930s - which is very late by UK standards.So I suppose the Wells must have been in use until then This object is a marker by the side of the road to show the Water Authority where their mains pipe is. The 'V' indicates that it is a valve, then it says it is a 4 inch main, and that it lies 18 ft in front of the marker. |
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Now you need to go a little way down the field, cross the stream and head towards the woodland Then, if you are like me, enjoy struggling up these steps, and this is just the start of them! |
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We find ourselves in a small hamlet, just a few rather charming houses, and our next well. I have to say that this looked to me more like a village pond. It is called 'Bank Well' but what with ducks floating on it and cattle standing in it I doubt if it was used for drinking water. Perhaps things were different in days gone by. Now just take the footpath opposite where you joined the road. |
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Especially as this rather splendid village pump (called Dog Slack) is only a few yards (okay metres!) away. Mains water to Silverdale is, rather suprisingly, tapped off the aquaduct that runs from Hawswater to Manchester |
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Carry on through the village and take the footpath on your left. Straight on past the twin oaks, then left at the wall, accross the road, and home is nearly in sight! I know that there are more wells to discover in this village, but that is sufficient for today. |
| And that concludes WALK NINE
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Inspiration from this glorious world.
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