Watch: Well, well, well... what do we have here? Historic well unearthed in Shropshire garden

And after finding a pipe he began searching further to see what was running under his house in Muxton.

Eighteen months later the 60-year-old car mechanic had dug out a well 20 foot deep.

"The front part of our garden was covered with concrete but when we dug it up following the leak we noticed there were bricks underneath," said Mr Smith.

"Once we dug a bit further I heard a plop – like something dropping into water.

"We dug further and found more curved brickwork and the outskirts of what looked like a well. We eventually set up a pully and harness system to remove hundreds of bricks which were blocking it."

"I didn't have a clue how deep it was going to be or how stable it was so I wanted to be as safe as possible.

"We eventually got to the stage where we could pump water out and now the well just naturally fills itself."

The cottage, in Wellington Road, was built during the 1850s on land owned by the Duke of Sutherland.

The houses were eventually put up for sale in 1915 when Mr Smith's and the next door property were both sold for £355.

Mr Smith's property was marketed as having a kitchen, back kitchen, three bedrooms, a garden, pig sty and "a supply of water from a pump or hydrant".

But Mr Smith, who moved into the house in 1984, had not seen the documents and had no idea a fully functioning well was sitting right underneath his home.

"The well goes further down but we bought a water feature for it and got the pump working as well," he said.

"The inside was so badly cracked we also had to replace bits because most of the metal work was totally knackered and rusting away. We finished it after 18 months because I even suffered a stroke half way through, so that put us back a bit.

"I'm a mechanic by trade so this was all totally different to me but I do like fixing things.

"I think it's really important to preserve historical things if you get the chance."

Mr Smith was so enthusiastic about his project he even managed to get a part for the well delivered to his hotel while celebrating his 60th birthday with his wife Linda, in Nashville, America.

"We needed a flap valve, which stops the water flowing back down the pump, but the only place that sold it was in America," he said.

"They wouldn't deliver it but we were travelling to Nashville anyway so we got it delivered over there. It probably only cost £2 in the end. I got the new pump covered in black vinyl and then asked for the water gauge to be added to it because they are always asking me how deep it is.

"It's been a great project to work on. I'm really pleased we've been able to restore it.

"The well is now usable but I haven't got the water properly tested yet," he added, "although it looks very clear."