Maharajah'S Well

Maharajah's Well is a well built in 1864, designed by Edward Anderdon Reade. It features a red brick base with painted cast-iron columns and a painted metal superstructure. The circular base is supported by eight columns that form an octagon in an Indian style, linked by spear-head railings. The columns have stylised leaf capitals and a pierced frieze with shields at the center. Above this is an onion dome topped with a chujja, and a painted inscription that reads "Given by his Highness The Maharajah of Benares 1864." A gilded spear finial adorns the top of the dome. The well's machinery, provided by R.J. and H. Wilder of Wallingford, Berkshire, includes a gilded cast-iron elephant at the top. E.A. Reade had previously worked for the Maharajah of Benares in India and inspired the Maharajah to donate the well to Stoke Row, motivated by the local residents' struggles to access water. Construction began on March 10, 1863, coinciding with the wedding day of Edward, Prince of Wales, and the well was officially opened on May 24, 1864, which is Queen Victoria's birthday. The well shaft is approximately 120 meters deep. The total cost for the well and its superstructure was £353 13s 7d, with an additional £39 10s 0d for the machinery and elephant. This well is noted as the first established charity in Great Britain from an Indian nobleman.