Digging a hole - walls under ground.

[magnetaress]

Thread is sorta like Oak Island, so thx for that [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Topgunben]

interesting find. I imagine upon further excavation you will be able to fully tell what the structure is.

Given its shape and size, I would lean towards a sewage distribution box.

But it also could be a place where the previous owners stored all kinds of precious metals and jewelry [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[mcoy]

I was thinking along the lines of the solids portion of an effluent tank as well. There don't appear to be any incoming/outgoing pipes though, and it's pretty small to be handling sewage.

If the only access is from above (seeing as it wasn't capped off with another slab) I'm leaning towards a freshwater cistern. If you do a google image search for "old cistern" you'll see a few that somewhat resemble what you've uncovered.

-Mcoy

[mcoy]

I mean it explains the size, the impermeability of the box, and it was amongst the first results for "i found a concrete box buried in my yard" on google...

-Mcoy

[Swish]

Originally Posted by Jimjam [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

That would be pretty cool! It does seem to be just backfilled rubble atm though. I'll probably fill it up with plastic skeletons and stuff when I back fill it.

Stranger things have happened, King Richard III's body found buried under a car park in Leicester about 10 years ago... (LINK)

If that structure predates your house Jimjam I'd go down to your local library or get in touch with the land registry and find out what (if anything) was there before those houses were built ^^

[Jimjam]

The bricks look more modern than the house, but perhaps I am mistaken.

I did more digging this morning, and a bit of bailing out

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It has solid concrete bottom. Between that and the brick walls, that must explain the drainage issues.

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A smashed old WC (I think) has been used as backfill.

A previous owner had knocked down the outhouse which adjoined the main building (a separate structure to these walls).

Seeing as there seems to be no ingress of water into the structure I'm excavating, I am guessing this was one of those old fashioned hedge-hog/toddler murdering ponds, which they backfilled with waste from the demolition of the old outhouse in advance of having their own child.

I would guess the pond was built after the war, possibly replacing a bomb shelter which previously was sank in that area?

[Jerri]

Perhaps an old rain water tank, or a sceptic tank?

[DoodyLich666]

You should for sure bury some weird shit in the hole when you are done.

[Jimjam]

Originally Posted by DoodyLich666 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

You should for sure bury some weird shit in the hole when you are done.

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Well, it's fully excavated and bailed out of water. Phew! That was tiring work. At least I didn't spend all weekend in The Hole(!)

So, yeah, it is 4 brick walls with concrete bottom all round. No way for water to escape - no wonder it was so wet, even after a relatively dry spell. Still no idea what it used to be. Too small to be an air raid shelter IMO.

I guess the question now is whether to try remove the actual structure? Or at least smash up the base or remove a few bricks so it has a chance of draining out better.

[magnetaress]

Maybe a fake pond, with faux fish?

Or a firepit?

Or line it with crystals and LEDs and a glass cover?