Ford Pant

The Grade II Listed Pant in Ford village can be found just 20m away from the ornate Lady Waterford Hall, and while it was incredibly practical in its use, even the person who designed it could hardly call it impressive to look at. It's official Historic England listing probably makes it sound sexier than it is.

It is described as a

“Disused village well. Early C19. Ashlar with iron railings. Stone basin set into ground with the pant behind it, a recess with plain sides and heavy projecting top. Short, low flanking serpentine walls. On top of the pant, railings with looped, intersecting bars.”

“Pant” is a Northumbrian word for a public water fountain or well, and they can be found all around the region in towns and villages. Alnwick and Corbridge have quite a few between them. They would have been places of congregation to collect water and find out all the local gossip and news.

Unfortunately, they could also be locations where disease could spread from and there are many cases of Cholera that started at public water fountains. This led to improvements in sanitation and eventually to each home getting its own piped water supply.

Nowadays we take this for granted and have to find out the local news through other means, but many of us still have a catch up by the water cooler in the office!