Bored man discovers 120-year-old tunnel under his house while doing DIY in lockdown

[Jimk]

Perfectly laudable ;-)

[spuorgelgoog]

A bored man who decided to do some DIY during lockdown discovered a secret 120-year-old tunnel underneath his house.

(actually, a coal cellar, so not that secret, and not a tunnel, but... )

"The stone arched ceiling was in great condition and the expanse measured a healthy 5m deep, 3m high, and 3m wide.

Upon inspection it confirmed that the space had been covered up for many years.

The whole area before then was a large hill called 'Windridge Hill' for obvious reasons. This was quarried away to almost high tide level, then the houses when built into the hole with cellars, undercrofts etc. However these early cellars, this one looks to be for coal, were built out not only underneath the pavement but out into the road. The load on the roads would have been much lighter than now. I have seen these places turned into wine cellars, a place to grow mushrooms, and if big enough, a 'grotto' type bathing area."

Anyone remember Nine Elms Ceilingite, the Best Distemper for Ceilings? (T. and W. Farmiloe Ltd. of Rochester Row, Westminster, London, S.W.1)

Blocked up circa 1964 - I assume they got gas central heating at that time?

Owain

[Tim+]

A fun thing to find under your house. I wonder why they?ve captioned the old pram chassis as a bicycle though? Are reporters really that stupid? No need to answer that one. ;-)

Tim

[Jeff Layman]

Nothing unusual. Most terraced houses built in the late Victorian and early Edwardian times in London, and I expect other big cities, had cellars for coal. These extended out to the border of the property, and back under at least half the house.

If I was him I wouldn't go moving around "builder's waste" from years ago without a decent mask. One can only wonder about whether or not it might have asbestos in it. Even if the previous owner was a builder, why would you use the cellar as a dump and then seal it up?

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

It happens that Tim+ formulated :

It was also a bit of a stretch assuming from the evidence dates, when it was sealed up - all that could be derived was that it must have been sealed up at sometime after those dates.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

House down the road from here, in pretty poor condition. Was bought by a builder. Who did live there, and did it up as his paying work permitted. Including a new flank wall which had been bulging badly. Using modern brick which looked awful. Actually a nice bloke to chat to.

Some time later. He ripped out all the new central heating, and piled it in the front garden. Seemed he'd been repossessed, and trying to stop the bank making a profit. Not sure about his logic. ;-)

People who bought the house at auction found he'd put the entire old flank wall into the cellar, to save paying for skips. Wonder what it cost them to have it cleared out.

[williamwright]

I've been in one on Newman St W1 that extended to the centre line of the highway. Some properties in london have steps at the front down to the basement, and at the bottom of the steps is a door that leads to a cellar under the road.

Bill

[Scott]

I knew someone who was building his own house when a divorce situation occurred. What he did was to stop work so the house was unfinished to reduce its valuation.

[Jeff Layman]

Were those, in the main, Regency or early Victorian large detached houses?

Are you sure that the cellar extended under the road and not just under the pavement? I once rented a basement flat in South Kensington which was approached by steps down from the front. AFAIR there was no cellar at all, either under the pavement or under the house. I now wonder if the basement flat was a cellar conversion or perhaps had always been there as "servant's quarters" for the house above. If so, where did they keep the coal (the answer is *not* "in the bath"!)?

[charles]

Not just London - Edinburgh New Town is like that, too.

[Bev]

and Edinburgh Old Town is even more fascinating in terms of subterranean living.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

There might be logic in that.

But if your house is repossessed, does that cancel the debt regardless of how much it is?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Ones I've seen in London - basement with its own door and the cellar opposite that door - only extend underneath the pavement.

[spuorgelgoog]

Some houses in Edinburgh New Town have not only the conventional basement (original kitchen) opening on to the 'area', but a sub-basement below that, where the servants slept. Below the 'area' there's a small recess dropping down to provide minimal light and ventilation to the sub-basement windows.

the front elevation (image 1) with the back elevation (image 24, 2 clicks backwards).

Also introduction of a new light well to a sub-basement

Owain

[Jake56]

In most jurisdictions you still owe the difference. The main exception is the non recourse system some US states have.

[DJC]

Normal pattern for a London terraced house. When the ground was levelled and topsoil removed to build the house it was normal to pile it up in front to form a raised roadway. The coal cellar under the pavement forms a brick arch embankment to that roadway. The apparent 'basement' at the front of the house is usually at ground floor level at the back.

[Max Demian]

I wouldn't like to live in a sub-basement flat with limited light and ventilation, however it was 'improved'. At least the servants only had to sleep there.

[spuorgelgoog]

It'll probably sell for half a million, so you'd probably only be sleeping there too.

Owain

[charles]

A cousin of mine has a subbasement flat in Moray Place. Because the natural ground has a substantial slope, the flat has windows to the outside world at the back.

[Bob Eager]

Not a lot different to the house in our back garden (on the site of teh old brothel).

It wasn't allowed to overlook our garden, so no windows at the back apart from a small one of obscured glass. None on either side apart from a small obscured glass one on the bathroom. All the real windows are at the front and face west.