Finding my cellar

[mattylad]

Unfortunately what you find may not be welcome.
It could be filled with crap and flooded.
Or the bodies may be down there and you'll have a massive police investigation - the neighbours will think its you lol

You could be lucky and find its just had some building debris thrown down and with a bit of a clearout - you have a usable cellar.
The question then will be - usable for what?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

GPR would find it - Ground Penetrating Radar. Ask Tony

 

[cdbe]

I've seen a few (but older houses) where the coal cellar ceiling/kitchen floor is formed by huge stone flags which are subsequently screeded over giving the appearance of concrete. Might be worth trying one of those cheap boroscope cameras that fit on your phone and drilling a few discrete holes with a masonry drill.
That's a strange shaped house, I wonder what it was before - looks like an old fort with all those "arrow slit" windows!

 

[JP_]

Might be treasure down there!
I found treasure in the loft of my 1930s house - previous owner left some pictures in the loft, told me I could do with them what I wanted. One was a print of the Queen, sold it for £75.
OK, didn't make me rich, but every little helps!

Here it is

 

[Snowyy]

The words "dn. to cellar" suggest there may be a cellar

View attachment 175213

I'm assuming this was the original entrance to the cellar, "DU" being down and up. The line to the cellar in the original drawing is still present in the new drawing so although this entrance has disappeared I'm thinking the cellar still exists as the line to the cellar has not been removed.

 

[Snowyy]

Might be treasure down there!
I found treasure in the loft of my 1930s house - previous owner left some pictures in the loft, told me I could do with them what I wanted. One was a print of the Queen, sold it for £75.
OK, didn't make me rich, but every little helps!

Here it is

View attachment 175219

Nice one, we always joke that there could be millions down there lol. Would be nice if I could find out, could come in handy if it is a decent size (Which it looks according to the cellar line)

 

[Snowyy]

I've seen a few (but older houses) where the coal cellar ceiling/kitchen floor is formed by huge stone flags which are subsequently screeded over giving the appearance of concrete. Might be worth trying one of those cheap boroscope cameras that fit on your phone and drilling a few discrete holes with a masonry drill.
That's a strange shaped house, I wonder what it was before - looks like an old fort with all those "arrow slit" windows!

Only history I know is that it was built around 1920-1930 by an architect who designed the entire street and this house was for him, we live right next to a railway and I've seen a really old picture in a railway book that was taken pre war. I'm assuming the ceiling would only be plasterboard and not concrete or anything so suppose I will have to remove some floor boards and see if there is a void under the floor material?

 

[Snowyy]

do you have air bricks at low level around the utility area?
in the Existing drawing it indicates cellar steps.

no need to dig inside the house - remove a few low level, outside bricks, being alert to any DPC or DPM, and drive a steel bar down at an angle to search for a void.
or dig an outside pit, and then go sideways - if the foundation and footings for the wall are conventional and shallow then its doubtful that there's any cellar

Also where the wall of the cellar was there is now a porch/hallway there so air bricks could have been there but now covered up with a hallway.

 

[pilsbury]

Unfortunately what you find may not be welcome.
It could be filled with crap and flooded.
Or the bodies may be down there and you'll have a massive police investigation - the neighbours will think its you lol

You could be lucky and find its just had some building debris thrown down and with a bit of a clearout - you have a usable cellar.
The question then will be - usable for what?

If I thought I’d got a cellar, I’d want to get down there for a look even if I had no use for it at present. Just out of interest.

I think what would be fair is that if any treasure is found it is shared evenly with those contributing in this thread.

 

[JP_]

Me too. Although I have now lifted most of the floors in my house to insulate them, i am still hopeful of finding some treasure, or a trap door, in the last bedroom or hallway!

 

[pilsbury]

or a trap door, in the last bedroom!

Id be careful here...... you might well find a “secret room” if you try and break through you bedroom floor...... your lounge.

 

[cdbe]

All I found in my loft was dust and dead birds! I have just dismantled my old tumble dryer and found 92p and a washer so looks like chippy dinner for me today.

 

[JP_]

Id be careful here...... you might well find a “secret room” if you try and break through you bedroom floor...... your lounge.

That would mean there's a mini stargate under my floor - I live in a bungalow!

 

[Snowyy]

GPR would find it - Ground Penetrating Radar. Ask Tony

Wondered if there was some kind of ultrasonic/x ray device that could check this, bet it is expensive though for a survey

 

[Nige F]

I found £200 in old notes behind a bath panel - had to take them to the bank to change them. Found a pron mag in a cistern blocking the outlet to the CWS.