Is this a foundation stone? Bit of subfloor rubble?

[DampedOut]

So, as is traditional in the days before Christmas, we broke up some concrete subfloor.

Other parts of the ground floor have large stone flags, some very old with wear from traffic. So it seemed worthwhile to see what was below this.

But now we’re sort of stumped. One person thinks it’s foundation stone coming out from the wall. Another thinks it’s a rubble subfloor. A third is withholding judgment.

This is next to the facade, but on the inside. The house is likely 300 years old plus, and in Westmorland.

Does anyone have any idea? Apologies for photo quality.

 

[Cubist]

The pictures not very clear to me, but then my eyes are poorer now than they used to be. That said though it seems to me that the face has been shaped/cut reasonably square/flat. May be best to assume its a foundation stone.

 

[Feltwell]

Ye Olde foundation method was generally dig a trench wider than the wall, chuck in whatever big lumps of stone you could find nearby to spread the weight a bit, then start building your wall on top. I suspect you've just found this.

 

[DampedOut]

Thanks for the replies! It's good to know. Will avoid disturbing this as much as humanly possible.

I'll probably try to remove more of the subfloor this coming year and eventually do a channel around the perimeter of the room for pouring limecrete. I think someone on the board did that once and it worked? Just balking at the price of doing a whole limecrete floor, plus all the disruptions.

I was hoping that a buried flag floor would save me from having to do any of it. Oh well.

 

[88v8]

....eventually do a channel around the perimeter of the room for pouring limecrete. I think someone on the board did that once and it worked? Just balking at the price of doing a whole limecrete floor, plus all the disruptions.

Can't recall whether it was done or hypothesised...
The limecrete perimeter might have to work quite hard to dissipate the damp, depending how damp.
Best cover it with quarries so there is a large area of lime pointing to breath out the moisture.

Which is what we did, but as the perimeter of a limecrete floor.



Problem with perimeter-only may be differential movement/sinkage between the limecrete and the concrete. Could be minimised if you leave the concrete quite ragged so there is a 'key'.

That stone you found might be a keystone... sometimes just a few big stones, not contiguous. Or the top of a neolithic burial chamber filled with priceless artefacts.

 

[a twig]

There have been a few on here who have done the limecrete perimeter. Searching for “limecrete” and “perimeter” should bring them up