Memories of the Dam

Long standing residents of Wellow have fond childhood memories of the dam, and some of these are reproduced here;

From Bill Ragsdale; "As   an   old   resident   of   Wellow,   I   have   many   happy   memories   of   Wellow   Dam.   Particularly   as   in   my   younger   days   the winter   weather   seemed   to   be   more   severe,   and   the   Dam   was   frozen   over   for   very   long   periods. As   children   we   could   play there   quite   safely   for   weeks   -   except   at   the   south   corner   where   the   inflow   of   water   came   in   from   the   spring,   which   is   still   a constant   supply   of   fresh   water. The   spring   itself   is   sixty   yards   or   more   to   the   south   going   out   towards   Wellow   School,   and I can still remember it exactly as it was when I was a boy. The   Council   levelled   off   that   stretch   back   to   the   highway,   and   did   away   with   the   Bucket   Well   which   used   to   exist;   this   was a   very   strong   stone   construction   built   on   the   side   of   a   hill,   with   stone   pillars   and   a   large   slab   of   stone   on   the   top. The   well was   made   so   that   a   bucket   could   be   dipped   and   filled   with   the   beautiful   clear   spring   water,   and   taken   away   for   use;   this was   before   piped   water   was   in   the   village.   Another   well   lay   at   the   side   of   the   dyke   opposite   Audrey   Laughtons'.   The supply   of   fresh   spring   water   comes   into   the   dam   by   the   roadside,   and   it   can   be   seen   to   be   running   at   all   times.   As children   we   were   told   to   keep   away   from   that   area,   as   there   was   a   certain   amount   of   water   that   did   not   freeze,   no   matter how   hard   the   winter   frosts. As   I   say,   we   spent   many   happy   hours   down   there   as   kids,   and   when   I   learned   how   to   skate, we   could   play   ice   -   hockey   with   stones   and   sticks.   We   also   had   some   excellent   skaters   in   the   village   at   that   time;   the water is never stagnant, as the outflow runs into the dyke on the east side, where the big stone is. In   the   summer   time   before   so   much   road   traffic,   cattle   grazing   on   the   green   had   a   ready-made   drinking   supply,   and   also when land work made the heavy clay stick to the horses' legs, we used to take them down for a good splash around. One old demented lady in my youth committeed suicide in the placid waters. I   have   always   maintained   that   at   some   time   the   Dam   area   has   been   excavated   to   exist   on   its'   present   scale.   If   anyone looks   at   the   large   mound   to   the   south-   east   at   the   side   of   the   track,   it   seems   to   me   that   one   could   reasonably   imagine that   the   quantity   of   soil   in   that   large   bank   would   be   the   equivalent   of   the   amount   which   at   some   time   was   dug   out   to provide   a   constant   water   supply   to   the   early   settlers.   The   amount   of   soil   to   me   seems   to   be   about   the   amount   which would be the result of an excavation.