The 'well' of Well is a spring which, along with several other springs, feeds the beck running through the village. The well lends its name to the village, described as
Wella in the
Domesday Book. The name
Wella is
Old English, literally meaning
well or
stream. The village used to be in the
wapentake of
Hang East. The village has an old school with a schoolhouse. The Old School, originally the
workhouse school, was founded in 1605 by Thomas Earl of Exeter and his wife Dorothy, daughter of John Neville. Built in 1722, the old schoolhouse is
Grade II listed principally owing to its 18th century roof structure,
inglenook fireplace, and having been built by the same charitable trust. Today, they are both owned by "The Neville Trust", a charity named after an influential family from the
Tudor period. In addition, there is a small playing field with two swings and a small football pitch. As these facilities are rarely used by the children in the village, the trust is now planning to sell all assets. The village still has four
almshouses called
St Michael's Cottages with their own
chapel. There is a family-run pub called The Milbank Arms, which serves food and drinks. There is a
Methodist Chapel, which holds regular services, and a village institute, which is used for children's parties, coffee mornings and other events. Every August, the village hosts a
scarecrow trail in which many of the houses create a scarecrow and give it a name; each house then has a number, and members of the community have to work out which name belongs to which scarecrow. The winner receives a cash prize. The competition usually runs from mid-August to early September. Well also has a number of walks, with views across the area; on a clear day,
Roseberry Topping is visible. ==The church==