The inner courtyard of the Hospices de Beaune houses a well with elegant Gothic ironwork. When the building was constructed in the 15th century, it ensured its water supply by drawing from a water table. Crowned by a cut stone curb, it is typical of the wells of the Middle Ages dug in the cities, castles, cloisters, palaces, and houses. Initially installed for the needs of the builders, the wells were, once the buildings were finished, equipped with curbs at their opening. Water was drawn by means of a bucket suspended from a rope rolling over a pulley, the suspension of which became a decorative motif.