Second Visit 18 August
With Rob Gall still on honeymoon and yours truly reduced to the role of spectator because of back trouble, the remnants of the original team were ably supplemented by Sue Clarke.

We hired a petrol generator and an electric sump pump from Wright Hire of Marple at favorable rates and although the water level had raised several feet since our last visit, it was quickly reduced to ankle depth, allowing us to continue our excavations. A considerable volume of rock and stone was removed, along with a small amount of silt which was eagerly sifted by Don the archaeologist. Unfortunately just as we were getting into the swing of things, the sump pump packed up and we had to be satisfied with clearing out as much rock as we could in the time remaining.

Towards the very end of the session we did seem to hit a new layer and the discovery of a plastic comb complete with intact plastic carrying case, circa 1950, did much to encourage us that our next visit will be even more successful.

Final Visit 2 September
Previous expeditions had been made on Saturdays but with several members having commitments that forced us to stop at midday we decided to clear our diaries for a big push on a Sunday, when we could all devote the full day. As always with MAVIS the only qualification is that you turn up and get stuck-in and this time we were pleased to welcome the support of John Connors and Dave Cheshire as excellent replacements for the absent firemen, Rob and Jeff. Their engineering experience also turned out to be a very welcome bonus.

The well had again filled with around four feet of water but we had hired another generator and pump from Wright Hire to deal with this. Having arrived early and gotten everything quickly set up, disaster struck, or so it seemed. The pump would not lift the water high enough to empty the well and following the failure of the pump during our previous visit, it immediately became the prime(!) suspect. Two Volunteers were dispatched to track down Mr. Wright to voice our discontent and try to obtain a replacement but, fortunately for us as it turned out, he wasn't home!

With nothing else to do but stand and wait, our intrepid engineers John and Dave decided to inspect the pump and soon established that it may not be as guilty as we'd imagined. With attention then focused on the generator, a smaller model than last time, it was discovered that manual adjustment of the throttle increased the power sufficiently to get us back in business. By the time our despondent duo had returned to report that they couldn't find Mr. Wright, they were cheered to discover the well was nearly emptied of water.

As soon as it was only ankle deep we sent down Jon Bintliff with a large sledge-hammer to break up two stone slabs that had been hampering our progress last time. A task he tackled with his usual relish for a physical challenge despite a hangover that would have kept lesser mortals in bed. It was a shame to break up these slabs as they were made of dressed stone but unfortunately they were much too large to remove any other way.

With these obstructions removed, Jon was joined by Peter at the bottom of the well and we developed an efficient rhythm using two buckets and ropes to rapidly remove the final layer of rocks and stones. Beneath this was the stuff the archaeologists had been waiting for in the form of a thick layer of silt and soft mud. This too was quickly removed and piled high for their inspection. Just as we were considering a change of personnel down the well, we realised we had literally hit rock bottom.

In many ways it was almost a disappointment to have reached the end of the task so suddenly but it was also satisfying to have completed the challenge and got the job done. After everyone who wanted to had been down the well for photographs and a final look around we replaced the covering slabs and cleared away our gear.

During removal of the silt and mud we noticed a variety of bits of glass, pottery and metal. Also, not surprisingly, there were a good number of old broken buckets and handles retrieved. We left archaeologists Don Reid and David Law to sift through a huge pile of mud and silt to discover what our final day's endeavour had revealed.

There was a display about the Well Dig at the Mellor Archaeological Trust Open Days on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th September 2001, where visitors could see all the items removed from the well. It was a little disappointing not to have found any Stone or Iron Age artifacts but amongst the inevitable chains, brackets and bucket parts were one or two more interesting items. These included a watch, a wooden carpenter's rule and a tin whistle to mention just a few. If you click the picture of the display above, or follow this link, it will take you to a larger view of all the items displayed.

Archaeological expertise over the three days of the investigation was provided by Don Reid, David Law, Ann O'Mara and Judith Cooper, who all now qualify as honorary members of MAVIS. Our thanks to them and to Ann and John Hearle for tea, coffee and biscuits and inviting us to tackle this challenge.