i have found a room, without a door...?

[glayzell]

hi all,

i have been preparing the ground for a new extension in my house, built approx 1820. I have had to take down a victorian extension that had subsided. Whislt digging around the ground i came a accross four walls, about four feet square, i have dug out aboout 3-4ft and on one of the walls there is what looks like a firplace or hatch of some sort. but there is no door into the 'room', any ideas?

it pre-dates the old two storey extension which was built around 1900, as it was underneath it....

I dont believe this room is the end of the story as at the end of my current cellar is an opening which has been bricked up, which if opened would be about 3ft from this 'room'.

any thoughts anyone?

 

[BMcD]

I take it it is what looks like foundations to the room? Is the hatch you found on an original wall corresponding to the cellar? If so you may have found an original external entrance to the cellar. Photos would be nice if at all possible

 

[glayzell]

i will take some pic's this evening.

everything i have found is below the ground. It may also have served as foundations to a room above, but would also have been a room in itself as there is this fireplace thingy...

here is a very rough sketch:

 

[Tom]

Some kind of outside oven / bread oven, if the cellar was used as a kitchen at some stage?

Jaqy

 

[Penners]

Or was it perhaps a coal-hole, that fell into disuse and was abandoned?

 

[Aidan]

Coal hole.
Rain water storage cistern, if there's any sort of puddled clay lining on the outside.
Cess pit. Similar to above in construction.

 

[glayzell]

Thanks for the responses.

There does seem to be a clay floor appearing abour 4 feet down, i foun a piece of coal while dogging it all out, but though it wasnt a coal hole as there is a coal shute in the existing cellar.

I guess i will keep on digging.

I am worried now as i am working on a tight schedule and should be building a 2 storey extension above this hole..i really need to know what else is below the ground before digging out the foundations....dont i? this is all going to be delay...plus i need to mention this to the CO as it is listed, and he may insist on archilogists or something silly..

 

[Aidan]

The clay would be puddled clay, like plasticine in texture; waterproofing material, pre-asphalt. The walls and floors would have a thick layer on the outside, if this had been any sort of water cistern. A labour of Hercules to work it, apparently. Most ponds and canals were lined with it by stout navvies.

.

I am worried now as i am working on a tight schedule and should be building a 2 storey extension above this hole..i really need to know what else is below the ground before digging out the foundations....dont i? this is all going to be delay...plus i need to mention this to the CO as it is listed, and he may insist on archilogists or something silly..

You have to dig the foundations down to undisturbed sub-soil, the building control person usually wants to inspect the trench before the concrete goes in and they won't let you build off made-up ground. There's no reason why there'd be any disturbance below the foundation level of the existing room.

 

[glayzell]

here is a picture of the hole dug out, I am intending on strengthening the walls and making use of it with a hatch of sorts, somewhere to keep the wine cool....just need to develop a taste for wine!