The Maharajah's Well, Stoke Row, Oxfordshire

Kingstonian

Driving thru the Oxfordshire countryside on a sunny January afternoon (two days ago), we saw a sign to "The Maharajah's Well". With time to spare, we took a diversion ... and found a beautifully maintained Victorian era well, donated to the English village of Stoke Row by the Maharajah of Benares in the 1860's.

Edward Reade, the son of the squire of Stoke Row was in Benares in 1850, and had a "casual conversation" with the then Maharajah, which led to the donation.

The well is 368 feet deep (taller than St Paul's, as a UK comparison), and 4 feet in diameter - only one man could dig at a time. It provided clean, free drinking water to the community for nearly 60 years, until a pipeline was laid in 1927. The well is maintained by a trust. The Maharajah's benefaction included the purchase price of an adjoining cherry orchard, which funded the upkeep of the well and cottage for some years.

The Maharajah of Benares appears to have started a trend in Indian benefaction to England: others subsequently donated a well to nearby Ipsden, and then a drinking fountain in Hyde Park in London (the Maharajah Vizia Nagran of Madras).

All these details - and many more - from a pamphlet available on the site of the well.

(Thumbnails - of the well in its setting, the gold elephant topping the lifting rig, and the adjoining cherry orchard - downloaded from a mobile phone - not much detail visible ...)

Nick-H

Fascinating! What a find!

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fajitanumerouno

I have been there! What a hoot. We too were driving around the area one lazy Sunday afternoon (perhaps after a pub lunch, ahhhhh) checking things out and finally drove down there to see what the sign was talking about as we had seen it many times. It was amazing and surprising. I have not even thought of that place in a few years. Thanks for the visit.
Val