Hulme Lock Cottage: The Mysteries Continue

Previous editions of Canal Cuttings have described a variety of puzzling features about the site of Hulme Lock. The strange brick chamber surrounded by a layer of clay is now assumed to be a cess pit although its close proximity to the house may indicate that there could be another interpretation. The stone lined block built onto the gable end of the cottage built entirely of brick we are now fairly certain is a faggot oven. Stone has better insulating properties than brick to retain the heat, whilst the inner lining of the ‘oven’ is of a refractory brick, better to withstand the heat. Meanwhile the lock chamber remains unique in having vertical timbers built into its walls, reason unknown.
Yet another problem has gradually made itself known to the working parties which have spent time on the site. In the illustration, all the ground shown is ‘made up’ to its present artificial height to allow the construction of the lock. The original ground level is approximately where the present bank of the ditch lies, indicated by the dotted line crossing the sketch. The water level in the ditch indicates the level of the water table in the ground below the site. So far so good.
There is however a well built into the paved area of the yard behind the cottage. The well is about eight feet long, two feet wide and four feet deep and is built of brick. When it was excavated the materials removed included timber, bricks, slates and thick black mud. All these were cleared out and the empty chamber left covered up to prevent accidents. There is some evidence that a gully once led run off from the rain gutter of the cottage into the well but since the gutter and roof no longer exist and there are no pipes leading into it, it could be assumed that the well would remain empty.
When the working party arrived the next month and removed the covers, the well was full of water. This came in useful to make the mortar for the brickwork which was being done and it was assumed that recent rainy weather had caused the well to fill up. A great deal of water was used in mortar mixing and the level fell considerably.
The next working day followed a prolonged dry spell yet when the well was open up it was again full. The questions are , where does the water come from and how does it achieve a constant water level which is so much higher than the water table in the surrounding ground ?
The mortar and bricks which form the chamber of the well are probably porous and allow water to seep through but where does this originate ? It certainly cannot migrate upwards from the level of the water in the ditch. If the water comes from the made up ground, an artificial water table must have been created and the builders would have had to have spread a layer of impermeable clay across the whole site before starting on the actual construction of the lock. This would have been a fairly large job simply to provide the lock keeper with a water supply and it is unlikely that the canal contractors would have considered such an exercise worth while.
Experts on water supply are requested to supply solutions to this problem for inclusion in a later edition of the newsletter, not that we can confirm that they are correct, we just don’t know.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who have taken part in our work parties. Especial thanks to Rick Rogers of the Warrington Sankey Valley Ranger Service, who has moved to a post with St. Helens MBC, where we’re sure to meet up with him again.
Anyone interested in joining future working parties can contact me, Colin Greenall, by telephoning 01744 731746.

there will be no need for you to turn out your cupboards quite so often.