Cycle 365

The bicycle in daily life

To The Maharajah’s Well

Posted: October 14, 2020 Under: Europe By 8 Comments

To continue with my county Quest I thought I would head up into the Chilterns, an area of the county I haven’t visited for a while. The Chilterns are a range of hills that bisect the South Eastern corner of the county.

Stopped here at the Cress Beds in Ewelme for a quick bite and a drink.
The last time I came here with our Neale our youngest son, the well head was surrounded by scaffolding and plastic sheeting as refurbishment work was being carried out.
This info board explains all.
The Well is located in the village of Stoke Row, and is a popular destination for local cyclists as is the tea rooms close by.
This is typical of the Chilterns, lots of ups and downs amongst lovely beech trees.
Vines in the village of Pishill
Christmas tree plantation.
This in the hamlet of Greenfield.
This is the M40, the main artery from London to the midlands, leaves just showing signs of turning.
This dressed flint church is in the tiny hamlet of Adwell and is a great example of the medium.

From Adwell I thought it would be a reasonably straight forward ride home, however, I wasn’t expecting the couple of road closures I can across. So it was a bit of a faff to find a route back. Great day out and managed to add another twenty settlements to my county Quest List.

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8 response to "To The Maharajah’s Well"

  1. By: gregblood Posted: October 15, 2020

    That is at least ten times more grand than any well I’ve ever seen. Even without the golden elephant it would still be 9 times more ornate than any well I’ve ever seen. And it’s got a fascinating story too. I’m glad you shared it.

    • By: DJG Posted: October 15, 2020

      Thanks Greg, yes its very grand.

  2. By: Rich-Illinois Posted: October 15, 2020

    368 feet deep! And dug by one man at a time — that is truly amazing.
    Beautiful canopy which is equally amazing.
    Must have had one very long rope and bucket, submersible pumps weren’t available back then!
    Enjoyed all the other photos as well, thanks!

    • By: DJG Posted: October 15, 2020

      Rich, yes its a very impressive feat, even with a plumb line you’re still got to ensure you descend vertically.

  3. By: Scooter Posted: October 16, 2020

    That really is interesting. It’s hard to fathom a hand-dug well so deep. I’ll bet the bottom two feet are a layer of pennies folks have dropped to hear the sound at the bottom.

    • By: DJG Posted: October 17, 2020

      Scott, yes it is interesting, especially the obvious abject rural poverty at a time when the British Empire was at its peak.

  4. By: NancyG Posted: October 19, 2020

    Now I understand the well. Should read these posts in the order they are posted ;’-0.

    • By: DJG Posted: October 19, 2020

      Nancy, not a problem hope you enjoyed the post.

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