For the past 45 years, Kevin Mort and his wife have been living in a house where the kitchen floor turns icy cold and slippery like a natural ice rink every winter, posing a mystery that has puzzled them for decades.
However, a recent kitchen renovation project (installing heated floors) unexpectedly led this family to discover a mysterious deep well with a history of 300 years, finally unveiling the reason behind the unusually chilly kitchen floor every winter.
Mort, a 50-year-old retired plumber from Cheshire, England, and his wife are now empty nesters living in a house they purchased from Mrs. Mort’s parents. Due to the age of the house, Mort had delved into its history.
“We can trace back to as early as 1756 when this place used to be a pub,” Mort told The Epoch Times. According to their knowledge, the house had merged with the neighboring one to become an inn and tavern with an adjacent stable for horses.
He mentioned that its original function changed in 1926 to a post office and later in the 1960s transformed into a house. Subsequently, they acquired the property. During a recent kitchen floor renovation, they unearthed more history than they had anticipated.
As they dug beneath the floor with shovels, they hit upon hard bricks. “We found this area was damp, with a circle of bricks around,” he said. “It was like cracking open a treasure chest, just like the excitement of discovering a new land.”
Although confident in his assessment of the situation, as a retired plumber, Mort’s daughter was present and suggested he film this new discovery and share it on social media. Mort followed through with her advice, recording the unveiling of the ancient well beneath the kitchen and quickly sharing it online.
Initially not expecting much response beyond family and friends, the video went viral online, sparking widespread discussion among netizens.
Mort mentioned that many offered opinions on what to do next, with some suggesting promptly covering the well. However, driven by his excellent plumbing skills and strong curiosity, Mort delved into exploring everything the ancient well might hold.
After pumping out the water in the well, he used a metal detector inside, uncovering historic wine and brandy bottles. Yet, they had to abruptly halt the excavation out of fascination due to their urgent need for the kitchen, necessitating completing the renovation quickly.
Measured at 17 feet deep, the family ultimately decided not to cover or fill in the well, but rather installed a lit glass cover to accentuate the well’s rustic charm and allure.
Mort personally carried out the well’s repairs and hired a company to install a decorative glass cover. The thick glass surface, a favorite spot for their dog to curl up on during warm summer days.
While the Mort family is pleased with this newly created “feature landscape,” Mort mentioned that among the additional 650,000 followers on their social media, many cautioned him about the well inside the house, highlighting its striking resemblance to the horror movie “The Ring.”
In response, Mort wittily remarked, “If I had a dollar for every time someone said that, I would be very rich.” At the same time, he declared that he has no plans to watch the horror film again any time soon.