A GWENT well which inspired poet TS Eliot has been discovered by a blacksmith - solving a decades-old mystery.

In 1935 the American Nobel prize-winning poet penned an obscure poem entitled Usk while touring South Wales.

Literary experts have since struggled to understand the short 11 lines of poetry which referred to a "white hart" behind a "white well".

Following research by a retired professor and the memory of Llangibby's 71-year-old blacksmith, it is now believed the white well is a disused holy well hidden in a hedge in the village.

Professor Philip Edwards, a former King Alfred Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool, sparked the hunt for the well while researching for a book on pilgrimages in South Wales.

Llangibby's blacksmith Bob Morgan heard of the professor's search and it occurred to him that his village's long abandoned well might hold the key.

Mr Morgan told the Argus: "Before the mid 1950s the well was the main source of water for the whole village, of course when the mains came it wasn't used so much and slowly it became overgrown. It was whitewashed and it stands near the White Hart pub so it sounds just like the well they were looking for. I got in contact and they were very excited by the news."

Professor Edwards said: "We rushed down to see it and realised that it had once been white and was behind a pub called the White Hart Inn." Professor Edwards desc-ribed the well which insp-ired Eliot as about four feet high, beehive shaped and made of stone.

He added this would once have been a place of pilgrimage as well as a local source of water.

Professor Edwards said the discovery threw light on the meaning of the "short but baffling" poem.

"The poem is telling people not to look for miracles or believe in medieval tales, as real pilgrims and God himself can be found in the open air," he said.

Now Mr Morgan thinks the old well should be restored to its original condition so villagers and visitors can enjoy it again.

Debbie Lawrenson, the landlady of White Hart Inn, was shocked that the "few old stones" 100 yards down the lane had any significance.

She said: "You can't really see anything but a few stones by the side of the road.

"I know some people have already come to the village to see it and maybe if they rebuild the well it could bring me more business."