A retired civil servant living in Plymouth, England, recently decided to figure out once and for all why there was a dip in the floor underneath his sofa. After three days of work, and much to his amazement, he discovered that the house he had been living in for the past 25 years was built on top of a 33 foot medieval well dating back to the 16th century. Donna Bowater of the Telegraph reports:

Mr Steer managed to excavate it using a rope to carry out the debris with the help of a friend before discovering an old sword.

"It was hidden at a 45 degree angle and sort of just fell out. It looks like an old peasant's fighting weapon because it appears to be made up of bits of metal all knocked together," he added.

According to Mr Steer's research, the land on which his house in Mannamead Road now stands was woodland until 1895, with Drake's leat running through it.

The watercourse was built in the 16th century by Sir Francis Drake to carry water from Dartmoor to Plymouth.

He said: "I've been doing lots of research into its history but I'd like to try and find someone to date it.

"I love the well and think it's fascinating. I'd love to find out who was here before us. I've got a piece of Plymouth's history in my front room."