The New Inn Well House....
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The well house at New Inn is an eighteenth-century Grade II Listed Building. In the last 50 years, since the well house stopped being used to supply water to the former public house, the building had deteriorated to a fragile condition and was in danger of being lost. The front wall had collapsed and the roof had become overgrown and near to falling in. The owner had battled to preserve as much as possible, but with limited funds.
In 2004 the newly formed Village Alive Trust, as a Building Preservation Trust, took on the task of raising funds to restore the building, to make it safe and accessible, and to preserve this rare and unusual example of our rural heritage.
Working from photographs taken when the building was standing, the New Inn well house has been restored using traditional methods and materials. The penetrating roots of the overgrowth have been removed. The original building stones, fortunately retained on site, have been re-used and, with lime mortar, render and wash the well house has been restored. The specialist contractor's mason has rebuilt the roof and front wall to its original design. The project has been overseen by a conservation architect and was completed in August 2005.
The well house before restoration ...
Well House Front Old
Well House Back Old
New Inn farmhouse was originally a coach house. The New Inn, built about 500 years ago on the main route from Monmouth to the Abergavenny-Grosmont road. In 1954 the Graig Estate sold off its land holding in Monmouthshire as smaller parcels of farmland, the then landlord living in Australia. The New Inn, as a public house and farm, was purchased by the parents of the current owner. The well house formed a part of that parcel and continued to be the main water supply to the public house. The following year the New Inn ceased trading as a public house and concentrated on its farming business. It still relied on the well house for its water until the mid 1960's, when the supply became inconsistent. Other arrangements were sought until mains water was introduced in the 1970's.