Coal shute

[biffvernon]

(Or is it chute?)

Anyone know about such things? Georgian house fronting directly on street pavement. Coal shute has iron grill in public pavement below which is sloping brickwork leading to cellar.

Who owns and/or is responsible for the grill? For the space below the grill?

If cellar is converted to living space how does one allow the light and air in but not the rain or falling pedestians.

 

[Penners]

Do the deeds not make any mention of ownership of/responsibility for the area and the chute? If not, I suppose you could ask the local authority, but I suspect I could forecast what their answer would be.

Ultimately, perhaps a solicitor would have to give an opinion.

As to falling pedestrians, I think it would be the householder's responsibility to ensure that the area is kept clear of such debris.

 

[MdB]

As to falling pedestrians, I think it would be the householder's responsibility to ensure that the area is kept clear of such debris.

LOL! "Hey, Marge, can you get the broom? A couple of kids and man in a bowler hat have fallen down the chute again."

 

[Lime]

With a great many old properties the ownership of the frontage ends in the middle/at the crown of the road.
Obviously acts of Parliament have taken away or superceded the property owner's rights but that is how things once were.

 

[Matt Green]

If cellar is converted to living space how does one allow the light and air in but not the rain or falling pedestians.

If you apply a tanking or waterproofing systems, it's easier to brick them up. Then you fit a system to a box rather than a box with 'a fiddly bit that you have to cater for in the design'. Cheaper and more effective (less joints).

Toughened glass with a louvered vent?

 

[chuckey]

Walking through London, you often see a yard depth of "glass panels" from the front of office buildings. You often see a yard width gap with railing around around them (light well to lower floor). Makes me think that the glass panels are just an update of the light well. Reminds me of some terraced houses round the back of Winchester station, where they have all sorts of hatches / grills / glass panels to cover their little light wells. My thoughts are that they belong to the house, but luckely the local council does the house holder a favour by paving right up to the house walls between these features.
Frank

 

[biffvernon]

You surprise me, Matt. It's the fiddly bits that make life interesting.

(Waterproofing, tanking, wassat?)

 

[Matt Green]

You surprise me, Matt. It's the fiddly bits that make life interesting.

(Waterproofing, tanking, wassat?)

True, but my joints aren't what they used to be. My knees regularly fail me cycling up the hill to work. Whilst I appreciate the 30s architecture as I trundle slowly up there are days I long for a billiard table run to the office.

I take it yo're considering a more holistic approach than a modern waterproofing method then...

 

[Penners]

there are days I long for a billiard table run to the office.

Well, call me defeatist, but wouldn't that be even more difficult to pedal than a bike?