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London’s Australia House Not Just Dishes out Visas but also Drinkable Water from 900-Year-Old ‘Holy Well’

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Jan 13, 2016 12:00 PM EST

You may go here for your regular travel advice and visa document but what if you could get a taste of water that comes from a well going 900 years back? According to the laboratory tests, the ancient well underneath the Australia House in London provides completely drinkable water from its ancient well. Also known as the "holy well", a spring that hides below the diplomatic mission's basement on the Strand is said to be at least 900-years-old and can only be accessed through a restricted manhole cover, reported The Guardian

The Australian High commissioner to Britain and also former foreign minister, Alexander Downer, helped the ABC News reporters down to the spring and scientific testing proved that the water is clean and safe to drink. "These wells were of great significance, particularly back in the middle ages," Downer told the ABC in a story due to air on Sunday night. "They were used for ceremonial purposes and plays were performed around the well. And as a result of that, this part of London evolved as an area where theatres were built."

Australia House is the high commission, migration and passport services centre in Britain. It also houses other government agencies such as Austrade and Defence. Downer said that the water in the well comes from Fleet River that is now fully covered by roads. Although there are believed to be about 20 more such wells in London, the only one that can be accessed is in Australia House. According to researcher David Furlong, the first known reference of this well was by a medieval monk in the late 1100s. The diplomatic mission has been operating from this building since 1918 and has been on the Commonwealth Heritage List. The building has also been featured in Harry Potter movies as Gringott's Banks, reported National Sun Times.

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