BEING dusted off and brought to light this week is a feature that many of us may have hurried past unknowingly or have seen and appreciated as another relic of old Ilminster without really knowing what it is.

At the bottom of North Street next to the George Hotel stands a Grade II listed 8ft octagonal shaft made of Ham Hill Stone (or Hamstone) with recessed panels.

Although it now looks of no purpose, in the 19th century it had the vital role of providing the largest drinking water supply to the town fed from the spring at the top of the hill.

The pump and spout have not stood the test of time but the small trough and drain remain.

Chard & Ilminster News:

With growing rates of urbanisation in the Victorian times, wells ponds and other natural sources could not provide adequate supply hence calling for the need for a piped system, installed in houses of those who could afford it and as street pumps for those who could not.

Nicknamed by users of the time as the ‘Stook’ for its resemblance to corn sheaves stood upright in fields (still seen occasionally if to be used as thatch), the pump became central to community life, a place where residents would queue with buckets and so exchange in conversation and news while they wait.

The shaft may no longer serve the purpose originally intended and people may not queue beside it, but in the 1980s there was a momentary change as the shaft served as a bollard to a vehicle that collided with it - No doubt many people queued once again, but this time to see the damage.

Following repair to the shaft in 1982, it is believed a time capsule was concealed inside.

I can’t help thinking there is surely a lesson here not to tar today’s perceptions of uninteresting with the brush of eternal purposeless.

Written by Megan Bessell