Have you ever visited Kingswear, on the River Dart opposite Dartmouth, and thrown a coin in the wishing well? If so, you apparently have my 3x great-granduncle Henry Toms to thank for its existence, although he could never have imagined it having such a long life and profile.
Henry was the younger brother of my 3x great-grandfather, and married Emily Kershaw, known to the family as Ellen or Ellie, in January 1865. Henry and Ellen didn’t have any children, but seem to have lived a full life, including a number of years in Devon’s Kingswear.
To celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, Henry converted an old horses’ drinking trough into a wishing well. The trough is set into an alcove in the wall beside the road on Fore Street where it becomes Church Hill, near the railway station and not far from the ferry.
A sign at the wishing well says:
The Wishing Well was converted from a horse’s drinking trough by the late Colonel Toms, a former resident, to celebrate his 25th Anniversary.
Over the years people have discovered that, when they wished and dropped a coin into the Well, that wish frequently came true. A few years ago a lady, about to embark on a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a yacht, made two wishes – they both came true. She returned to Kingswear safely and married the man of her dreams.
Through the kindness of people who wish and place a coin here, The Parish Council has been able to help worthy causes.
Thank you for your contribution and may your wish come true.
Money thrown in the wishing well is collected by the Kingswear Parish Council and given to village causes, such as the local Red Cross or playgroup. In 1963 the newspaper reported £1,500 had been collected over the previous 12 years. And a report from the 1990s said £250 was collected over a single summer.
I like to think Henry would have been pleased with the ongoing positive community impact of a gesture he made for his wife so many years ago.
Select references
Kingswear Wishing Well, Atlas Obscura, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kingswear-wishing-well, accessed 11 October 2026.
Wishing Well, Geograph Britain and Ireland, https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5428778, accessed 11 October 2026.
‘Nearly £500 in Wishing Well’, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 28 May 1959, p. 7.
‘£1,500 For Charity in the Kingswear Wishing Well’, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 16 September 1963, p. 7.
‘Easter parade of a village past’, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 25 March 1999, p. 10.
‘Well wishes come true’, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 28 November 1991, p. 37.
Discover Kingswear, Discover Dartmouth, https://discoverdartmouth.com/discover-kingswear, accessed 11 October 2026.
