Colin Steer Finds Medieval Well and Sword Under His Plymouth, England, Home

For 25 years, Colin Steer was bewildered by a sunken portion of the floor under the couch in his Plymouth, England, home. At one point, he dug about a foot under the floor, but his wife, Vanessa, stopped him from going farther.

"My wife just wanted me to cover it back up because we had three children running around at the time," Steer said. "I always wanted to dig it out to see if I could find a pot of gold at the bottom."

After he retired at the end of last year, he went back to digging -- and what he found under his home, some might say, is a golden discovery.

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Steer, with the help of a friend, uncovered a 30-inch-wide, 33-foot-deep medieval well under the floor that site plans indicate could date back to the 16th century, British tabloid The Telegraph reported.

Hidden deep inside was a sword, which Steer grabbed while he was excavating the well, and using a rope to lift out debris.

"It was hidden at a 45-degree angle and sort of just fell out," Steer told The Telegraph. "It looks like an old peasant's fighting weapon because it appears to be made up of bits of metal all knocked together."

Steer did some research into the history of his land, finding out that the area was just woodlands before his house was built in 1895.

"I'd like to try and find someone to date it," he said.

"I love the well and think it's fascinating," Steer added. "I'd love to find out who was here before us."

His wife is less impressed.

"I hate the well," Vanessa Steer told The Telegraph. "But I suppose it is quite a feature. When we come to sell the house, I just hope it's not a white elephant in the room."

Some other weird and surprising discoveries recently in the news: Demolition crews in Louisville, Ky., this week uncovered an abandoned S&M club underneath a row of historic buildings. And earlier this month, officials in Parrottsville, Tenn., discovered that 27 basketballs and other sports gear were clogging a town drain.

See also:
The Skeleton in the Attic of Historic Home
Home Demolition Reveals Stash of Cash and Generous Heart
Old Haunts, New Buyers: How to Handle 'Stigmatized' Properties

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