The room itself is of considerable size, but the masonry is more than massive.

In the middle of the room is a sunk well, built up to floor level and evidently going deep underground.

There is no windlass nor any trace of there ever having been any--no rope--nothing.

Now, we know that the Romans had wells of immense depth, from which the water was lifted by the 'old rag rope'; that at Woodhull used to be nearly a thousand feet.

Here, then, we have simply an enormously deep well-hole.