Step Well

Dr. Margaret Leshikar-Denton surveys site     Staff and volunteers during the excavation and cleaning of the step well

An historic step well discovered in 2003, is believed to be one of four documented in the maps of British Admiralty Surveyor, George Gauld, in the early 1700s.  The well has been preserved in a joint initiative by the Cayman Islands National Museum (CINM) and the Kirkconnell family, on whose property the ancient water source is located.  Located oppposite Hog Stye Bay,  this once vital resource resides in the locale of Grand Cayman’s commercial harbour. 

Salvage work on the site of the step well commenced six years ago by CINM's Archaeologist Dr. Margaret Leshikar-Denton, volunteers and staff, who worked tirelessly to recover materials from the site.  Discovered by volunteer, Robin Gibb, the well was first excavated and each of its steps scrubbed and cleaned.  Debris, dirt and silt were removed from its basin.  Subsequently, the Cayman Islands Water Authority tested the water – and rated it still good enough to drink today!

Visitors to Bayshore Mall can now  view the step well safely through a framed pane of glass set in the floor of a commercial store in Bayshore Mall, opposite the National Museum.  Visitors may also safely walk atop the glass-covered well to view the steps and the water below.