Scheduled Monuments›England›Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall

Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall

England
List entry 1002138
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002138
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0 hectares
Grid reference
TL 77482 29790
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

The well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall is a historic water-lifting installation associated with the substantial Tudor mansion at Gosfield in Essex. The donkey wheel represents an important example of early modern mechanical engineering for domestic water supply, powered by animal traction to raise water from the well below. The structure dates from the sixteenth century or later, reflecting the significant investment in infrastructure required to serve a major aristocratic household. The installation demonstrates the practical methods employed at elite residences to ensure reliable water provision before the advent of modern pumping systems.

Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002138. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall?

The well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall is a historic water-lifting installation associated with the substantial Tudor mansion at Gosfield in Essex. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002138.

Who is responsible for protecting Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall?

Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002138.

What other scheduled monuments are near Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bocking windmill (4 km), Moated site south of Rectory Road, 170m east of St Peter's Church (4.6 km), Dovecote at The Old Deanery, 380m south of Bocking Hall (4.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Bocking windmill
4 km
Moated site south of Rectory Road, 170m east of St Peter's Church
4.6 km
Dovecote at The Old Deanery, 380m south of Bocking Hall
4.8 km
Stanstead Hall moated site
5.3 km
Clavering's Farm moated site
5.5 km
Hedingham Castle
6.2 km
Moated site and two fishponds at Black Notley churchyard, 20m east of St Peter's and St Paul's Church
9.2 km
Henge 300m ENE of Newbarns Farm
9.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall

Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall stands on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.

The wider landscape

Around Well house and donkey wheel at Gosfield Hall

ColchesterRoman town · ~14 milesGreat ChesterfordRoman town · ~18.7 milesBattle of Maldon 991Battle (991) · ~16.1 miles
Domesday entry for Alderford, Essex →
All Scheduled Monuments