WHEN Philip and Rochelle Watkins began work on a new boundary fence at their Russell Street home, the last thing they expected to find was an historic brick well in their backyard.
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The couple purchased their property about six months ago and were building a new fence when contractors made the discovery.
“They lifted up the concrete and, bam, there was the well, ” Mr Watkins said.
A retired history teacher, Mr Watkins said he couldn’t believe what they had found.
“We were thrilled, over the moon,” he said.
“We want to cage it like the well at Cobblestone Lane. This is a piece of Bathurst’s history alive and kicking and we definitely want to preserve it.”
Mr Watkins said his house had a long history.
“It was built in 1904, and it’s a beautiful home,” he said. “Since they found it I’ve been perusing old documents but none of them say anything about a well on the property.”
Mr Watkins had recently started collecting old Bathurst bricks to build garden borders around the house and, to his delight, the well is also made from brick.
“It’s four metres deep, made from brick and about one and a half metres wide,” he said.
“We phoned Bathurst council and got some advice, and the lady told us to preserve it as much as we can.
“Rochelle [Mr Watkin’s wife] is pretty excited, she wants it to look like the one at Cobblestone Lane.”
