1850 property internal structure query

[Lee S]

Hi. I part own a beautiful 4 floor house in St Leonards built around 1850, we don't know exactly when. Our local archive centre, only had planning application for changes in 1919. Image of similar house attached. Would you say this is early Victorian?
The support of the floors to internal structural wall running front to back of the house, is integrated into the brick wall. The timber floor joists either side of the wall, sit on a timber plate that runs through the wall. We know this is not how floors in more modern buildings are constructed because of difference in movement between timber and brick. What I am looking for is a better name for this type of construction, so I can research it better on line or on this forum, as we are in need to the wall being repaired following part of the wall being removed in the flat below. I have created a rough model of the construction and also attach a plan and 3D image that maybe better describes what I am talking about. Would appreciate of any information or images of similar construction anyone has. Thanks

 

[Cubist]

I think the nearest broad style would be Italianate which was rather austere compared to the Gothic vogue of the period. The Gambrel roof though was often seen with the Shingle style but that also tended toward the Gothic with tall chimneys, narrow and tall windows and accentuated woodwork peaks.

 

[Lee S]

I think the nearest broad style would be Italianate which was rather austere compared to the Gothic vogue of the period. The Gambrel roof though was often seen with the Shingle style but that also tended toward the Gothic with tall chimneys, narrow and tall windows and accentuated woodwork peaks.

Thanks very much for your response.

 

[Stevers]

I'd call that a wall plate whether it's carrying a roof or floor. We've got some under our ground floor joists in an 1879 stone house, and I like to pretend they're not there, which to some extent at least, is true! Whilst wall plates can be seen to have a structural function, apparently random timbers can be found built into the brickwork of Georgian and earlier houses.

 

[fernicarry]

My upstairs floor joists also rest on a wall plate incorporated into the stone walls. I thought it might have been done that way just to get a roughly level surface to set the joists on rather than for its structural properties. But I suspect its helped distribute the loads across the front of the house after the front door lintel rotted away to nothing. Thankfully that was made good yesterday.

Has your downstairs neighbour removed part of the wall below the wall plate without adding a lintel?

 

[Cubist]

I thought it might have been done that way just to get a roughly level surface to set the joists on rather than for its structural properties.

I believe it's the other way around. The longer curing times for the commonly used lime mortars were the underlying issue as point loads immediately below each joist could easily disrupt the brickwork. These embedded wall plates were frequently used to mitigate that risk and, at other levels in the walls, to operate as 'nailers' for decorative wood and plaster mouldings.