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Goring Folly - The Beginnings and the Well
Plans were sent off to the Local Authority but were deemed unnecessary as long as it did not exceed 30 square metres in area and 4 metres in height. It also had to be 5 metres away from any existing buildings and certain restrictions were put upon usage.
An existing shed made way for the project and the
surrounding land was cleared.
Ideally the tower would have been much higher but
planning permission would have been impossible to obtain. The tower, however, is
constructed to support a much higher building of 8 metres plus. (perhaps future
generations will add to it!)
In order to obtain a sense of height the plan was to construct an underground entrance. This would add to the intrigue and the bizarre nature of the building.
A round hole approximately 1.6 metres was dug and over a period of two weeks excavated to a depth of 2metres. Digging was relatively easy at first through loam and crumbly clay but became increasingly difficult as the clay became lighter in colour, more heavily compacted and wetter. Digging clay is best described as like 'grating cheese'. The substance expands exponentially to some three times its original volume. The 'spoil' was taken by trailer to the local tip. Approximately 8 tons was removed down to 2 metres.
Spiral stairs were cut into the hole at this stage to carry up the buckets of clay. Everything had to be taken by wheelbarrow to the front of the house and shovelled into a trailer.
At 2 metres the ground became very soggy and as further clay was dug out immediately filled with water. The possibility of a natural well was an exciting and unexpected prospect.
The hole was eventually excavated a further 2 metres.
Pum
ping equipment had to be brought in to drain the hole in between stints of
excavation. Digging out wet clay is a difficult and physically demanding
process. Working in a confined space up to the knees in water the spade is held
in by suction and cannot be manoeuvred. Much of the clay was scooped out by hand.
Boots sink into the wet clay and the water level is constantly rising. Getting
out of a slippery hole when caked in mud is a tricky business 4 metres below
the ground. It is dangerous work and you can get cold and exhausted very
quickly. (Professional well diggers do have other methods.)
Eventually the well was dug, lined with pre-cast concrete rings (these were Milton Rings and had to be collected from Sittingbourne in Kent) and back filled with further concrete. Before lowering into the well these were covered with mosaics. Below the water level this reads 2000 A.D. The steps were concreted in and various other techniques brought the well up to ground level. The Creator.
