Well! What a find

Contractors unearthed the well – estimated to be up to two centuries old – at the start of extension work at the Royal Oak in Tettenhall Wood.

Bosses at the watering hole believe it was used as part of the brewing process in centuries gone by when beer was made on-site.

The School Road pub is building a 16ft extension which will house a 30-seat dining area and new toilet facilities. But the surprise discovery has put progress on hold while experts decide what to do about it.

Royal Oak landlord Stan Gardner said the well was in fantastic condition and he may make it a feature of the pub.

As a feature the well would come complete with lights and possibly a glass top to allow customers to peer inside.

Another idea is to make it into a wishing well.

Mr Gardner said: "It's got to be 180 to 200 years old. The engineers who found it said it was a work of art.

"All the working parts are in there like the pump but there's a lot of rubble in it."

Mr Gardner, who has been landlord of the Royal Oak for 13 years, said it added to the 200-year-old pub's appeal as a traditional drinking place.

He added: "I'd like it to be a feature if we can improve it, put lights on it and put a glass top on it."

Mr Gardner said the discovery, which is where the proposed ladies' toilets were set to be, could also be made into a wishing well.

One customer, who did not want to be named, said the well had created quite a stir among regulars and villagers alike.

"Everyone is talking about it," she said.

There are already remnants of the old brewery and two cottages which once stood on the site.

Three large underground rooms used by the brewery doubled as an air raid shelter for people in Tettenhall during World War Two.

They were unveiled during recent VE Day celebrations.