A man renovating a shop stumbled upon the area's 'greatest discovery', which he initially thought was a 'rat hole'. Jeff Pearce found a 240-year old well shaft whilst carrying work out on the basement of the property.
The Liverpool Echo reports that back in 2001, the businessman was in the process of renovating his fashion store, Jeffs. The shop, in Liverpool City Centre, would soon go down in history when he made an amazing discovery.
Speaking to the BBC, Jeff recalled the day that he made the historic find underneath his establishment. He said:"I had about eight men working with me in the basement in the dark and there was this little hole that kept appearing on the floor over a period of three or four days.
"I was convinced it was a little rat hole, but it wouldn’t fill in. I made it bigger and shone the torch down and all I could see for 35, 40 feet was water.
"The following morning inspectors for the Building Regulations came from the Liverpool Corporation. They said they didn't like the look of it and it would be best filled in."
However, not convinced with the authorities, Jeff made a phone call to Liverpool Museum to find out more about his discovery. The businessman claims he was told it was "one of the greatest finds in Liverpool city centre."
It turned out, Jeff had stumbled on a 240-year old well shaft dating back to the 17th century. Following his exchange with the museum, archaeologists then spent three weeks in the shop's basement on Bold Street.
Jeff says they uncovered other historical items including clay pipes and porcelain down. Experts told the shop owner it was likely built when Bold Street was still a field.
Now, Bold Street houses an eclectic mix of mostly independent shops and restaurants from every culture and ethnic group. Following the discovery, Jeff went about building the well on his shop floor leading down to the shaft.
He said: "When people look over, they expect to look about four feet down. When they see it's forty feet down, their breath goes and they think they're going to fall in."
Jeff eventually sold up and moved out of the Bold Street shop. However, the well is still a feature inside vintage fashion boutique, Soho's, who have occupied the premises ever since.
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