Gift shop under contruction 
Original Well
The caption might seem rather ambiguous and queer, and one might wonder how a well can be “converted”. But this story goes way back to a time in Anguilla, when, for the most part, the island was without an adequate source of running water. In tribute to our Anguilla Day, just past, I reflect on the fact that back then the island was, for most months of any year, drought stricken. It was an era when the way of life required housewives and children, mainly, to trek to the sites of natural underground springs — or standpipes — to “head” water home in buckets and pans for domestic use. This was one of the most prominent chores for youngsters of the day.
Then came the 1969 invasion by British paratroopers. They had come in an effort to restore law and order, following the 1967 Revolution, and to quell the political chaos that had ensued over the years that followed. Among these troopers were squadrons of Royal Engineers who, once ascertaining that the island was a peaceful territory of Britain, set out to work on projects that would improve the natives’ way of life. They built schools, improved roads, established a radio station, provided portable movie entertainment across the island and, yes, they dug wells that would alleviate the dreary drought burdens of the day.
Two such wells were drilled along the road that leads to the Shoal Bay area. It was quite intriguing for me, as a young child back then to stand and watch the drilling operations. It was the first time I had been introduced to the important role of a “derrick”, that towering piece of equipment used in the drilling process: a derrick— a homophone which echoed the name of my friendly school pal.
The wells on the Shoal Bay stretch meant that we who resided in the surrounding areas would have enough water to meet our domestic needs. But the wells were in use only for a short while after they were commissioned. Over the years the two wells were left dormant with an abundant source of water beneath.
The aforementioned “conversion” came with regard to the well that is located on the way heading north in closer proximity to the Shoal Bay beach. It is located in a lovely clearing of red, iron-rich, arable ground, known to locals as the Cherry Bottom. Here, Sunday afternoons see the Sunday School ministry for young children under a spreading Tamarind tree. The Well’s Children Ministry is conducted by Pastor Ruthlyn Harrigan of Dominion Faith Center.
It was one of Pastor Ruthlyn’s ministry aides, Ms. Cutlyn Carty of the neighbourhood, who has had the foresight to expand the little building that housed the well. Her idea is to transform it into a tourist attraction ideally as a gift shop for visitors to the island who would be making their way to the Shoal Bay beach. She intends to augment the image of the well by neatly installing the replica of an old fashioned water pump covering the dormant well’s outlet pipe in the floor.
Hers is hailed as a very brilliant idea, which, when it comes to fruition, would make for an interesting story for tourists who would learn about the well’s history and its conversion
- Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
