For more on this see VCH Oxon. XX (2021) (not yet online but available in libraries and @oxhistcentre.bsky.social) - at 368 ft deep it took 7-15 mins to wind up a full bucket. Water supply on the Chiltern chalk uplands was a chronic problem, with many early settlements focused on clay-lined ponds.
VCH Oxfordshire
On this day in 1864, the Maharajah’s Well at Stoke Row was officially opened
The well was a gift paid for by an Indian prince, the Maharajah of Benares, after he was moved by a story about a drought in Ipsden
The well, with its gilded elephant, took a year to build and was in use for over 70 years
