Pavement vaults

[Anonymous]

Had a bit of fun at the weekend - found the opening into the houses pavement vaults - bricked up some time in the last 20 or 30 years, I would guess.

One odd thing I would appreciate advice on. The vaults are not shown on the title plan. Presumably they should be? The house is Camden.

Any experience people have had would be most welcome.

Many thanks
Craig

 

[Anonymous]

Craig - I've never heard of pavement vaults. What are they?

 

[Anonymous]

Vaults under the pavement for coal etc deliveries and storage. Many houses in Bath have these too I think. In London those cast iron round covers are a giveaway in pavements. A great find!

The title to these is an interesting one though - no idea!

 

[Anonymous]

Thats the one!

Yes, a lot of fun to discover. The pavement looks like its built up on these arches along is whole length.

Guess I will try speaking to the council.

 

[Anonymous]

Of course you own everything up to the sky and everything down to the centre of the earth, so the bit below you is certainly yours.

I do a lot of work for a number of retail chains and they have a lot of pavement vaults - sometimes stretching out under shopping precincts. In all cases I know of, any problems with the pavement is down to my clients. There has occasionally been a close call when somebody trips on one of those missing glass blocks, and local authorities have sometimes asked my clients to straighten the pavement where the vault has caused some disruption.

My guess is the vault is yours.

 

[Anonymous]

They make great wine cellars I understand! Not that I could keep the stuff that long...

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I find that the damn stuff just evaporates...

Thanks for the replies - the vaults stick out the front so they are not under the house as such but it would be odd for them not to have belonged to the house originally.

 

[Anonymous]

I've had friends who've kept wine in a pavement vault, another who has his washing machine and freezer there and another who uses it for bikes. Quite a handy space really.