Who goes around core sampling old walls?

[N_Cook]

If heritage/conservation people, why no putty/mastic/mortar to plug the holes.

These are not for cavity wall insulation. There only a few holes per wall , on heritage buildings, and only about an inch deep, stopped. The left one is one orange "brick" wall I previously dismissed as not mathematical tile as there are none of the usual signatures (see URL below if interested) , until I returned and noticed the inside of these holes and the anomolous ironwork. The right one is for comparison, in a different town, on a definite yellow brick wall, at eye level but with the same sort of holes, no sign of a putty/mortar line, again only about 4 on the whole wall and unplugged. Such yellow brick could easily be "Hampshire Brick" or (County of ) Southampton Brick, types of mathematical tile that are yellow (New Forest clay) but called white. Difficult to photograph the left ones as 15 foot or more above the pavement and then to get the right exposure. I will return better equipped to take a better pic of the left ones at a shallower angle and perhaps try flash. Much more obvious to sight, than camera and that pic, is a band of white , where the bedding putty of a mathematical tile is (traditionally properly putty but could be anything). Viewing from below there should be no such band , if brick. The only other eye-ball evidence is rather awkwardly made and fitted iron tubes to take flag-day flag-poles fixed to the 2 inches of window frames , whereas you would normally fix to a wall, over a greater area as well, both for strength Background is a study in photos of existing mathematical tiling around Hampshire, I've been making, as no one seems to have done so before

[michael adams]

If I understand you correctly one of those examples on the left is mathematical tiles, and the other one isn't but could be. And core drilling, as in these cases, is a simple way of establishing the truth.

Could it be simply that there was a breakdown in communication between the heritage/conservation people, who came to examine the holes after they'd been drilled so as to classify the brickwork, and the contractor responsible for drilling the holes and supposedly plugging them afterwards ? And that nobody thought to check whether this had been done ?

michael adams

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[Tim+]

In English, and with paragraphs please.

Tim

[N_Cook]

Plausible, but 2 out of 2 sites in different towns ? These 2 examples are the only ones I've noticed and both in the last week. Perhaps there are other examples where the holes have been expertly plugged with colour-matched material , and I've not noticed. I was wondering if its a deliberate policy to aid people like me, or heritage people in the future, knowing how bad the records are of such examples.

[Richard]

8<

OK. We know what it did to the cat, but I am now curious to know what type of 'people' you are like.

[Nightjar]

Giant masonry wasps :-)

[michael adams]

Thinking about it - five nonoseconds after pressing send - if my suggestion were true then presumably they'd only need to make one hole in each wall. Rather than "a few" or four.

However whatever the actual purpose I can't help but think that a lack of liaison or communication between different agencies may be the reason for their remaining unplugged. Or possibly somebody was supposed to arrange this but forgot. Or the job of the person whose responsibility this would have been, disappeared in the meantime, as a result of funding cuts.

michael adams

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[dave]

Yes subject was kind of asking for the punchline wastn't it.

[N_Cook]

Mathematical tiles were (indeed are) often used on upper stories only, so 2 samples would need to be taken. And often a whole section can get blown (sucked) off a facade in a gale and be replaced with brick . So more than 2 samples would be perfectly logical , if a texture or colour change was noticed.

[Graham.]

Core sampling? Or perhaps just a SKY installer securing his ladder.

Seriously.

[F Murtz]

Homes for wasps?

[N_Cook]

With the assistance of flash and placing the camera on a tripod with extended but closed legs and all held aloft ,on 10 second timer

A much clearer view,upper right , and now as at about 45 degrees , upward angle, it looks as though the corer touched/punctured some dark grey backing material,lead?. Anyway grade 1 evidence that this area of "brickwork" is in fact mathematical tiles, that band of white putty, of the bedding plane, in the upper part of the hole and only 5mm thickness of front face "brick"

[spuorgelgoog]

Perhaps they were used to erect temporary banners advertising the conservation of historic buildings?

Owain

[N_Cook]

The owners spent a fortune in the 1990s replacing these tiles with custom made modern ones. As large areas are very rare curved tiles , must be even more expensive than usual. Then official vandals come along and do that . I wonder if the owners know that the damp/vapour? proof barrier membrane is punctured also

[N_Cook]

Also in that pic external right angle mathematical tiles on that pier, which are rare also. No internal right angle ones though, in the return face of the middle of that pic, just butted tiles and closers