To ask what this massive hole under our garden is?

[Greatbighole]

Husband just lifted up a slate in the garden and uncovered a concrete chamber which goes under our property and next door. It’s 6.5 feet deep. House was built in 1910, we moved in a few months ago. Didn’t come up in the survey or searches.
Any ideas?
Next door must know as they have built an extension over it but we don’t know them and don’t want to go knocking to ask right now, but obviously we will when we see them!
My husband accidentally dropped the slate into the hole which is what you can see in the bottom.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget

I'm going along the Murder Room route and offering Plague Pit

Or a Zombie Storage Facility like in The Walking Dead when they were all in the barn under a false floor ?

I did think "Oh extra cold storage" but now I've changed my mind

I don't remember there being a false floor in the barn- if you're talking about the barn on Herschel's farm.The zombies were just in the barn, not under the floor.

I thought they were in some sort of pit ?

Disclaimer : I wasn't a fan of TWD
Especially after poor Buttons

My husband is an architect and he says this is definitely a septic tank

Didn’t come up in the survey? Bit worrying!

Are you in Kansas? 🌪️

Food cellar? Storing potatoes, neeps and carrots and such? If your garden is medium to large, back when it was built people would grow then store food below ground if they had a lot to spare/save.

Make it into a wine cellar

[quote Ekofisk]There was a similar MN thread a while ago and it turned out to be a rainwater cistern - also shared between properties of a similar age. They collected rainwater to be used for washing or watering the garden, so often located near the outhouse / scullery and would have had a hand pump to draw the water.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3928104-Found-hole-in-garden?pg=4[/quote]
What a good idea.

@user1474226265

My husband is an architect and he says this is definitely a septic tank

He might want to read the whole thread.

@user1474226265

My husband is an architect and he says this is definitely a septic tank

Great job husband

I haven’t read all the comments but I would have thought without a doubt a bomb shelter.

@Icantfindmykeys

I haven’t read all the comments but I would have thought without a doubt a bomb shelter.

Why? It's not like there are a lot of comments to read. Even less of you only read the OP's (one of which gives the answer)

I vote coal hole. We had one a lot like this

@HugeBowlofChips

I vote coal hole. We had one a lot like this

Then youd be wrong.

Air raid shelter, very clean and dry though! I know a couple of people who have discovered something similar when working in their gardens.

Spare bedroom for when in-laws come to stay?

Fritzle suite?

Or i mean you could just read the OPs posts where she tells you exactly what it is.....

Cancel tne cheque eh? Its noy even that long a thread.

Murder-torium!

Could it have been an ice house? For meat & vegetables etc to have been stored before refrigerators were available? Only think this because it’s so clean!

I’ve actually read the comments so I didn’t have any suggestions about what it may be.

But if it’s meant to fill with rain water why isn’t it full?

An ice house?

Is it a bit close to be a cess pit?

No idea really!

A coal hole would have basement access to it for shovelling coal into a scuttle and bringing it into the house. It would not also be accessable to the neighbours and there would be an angle roofed access to keep the rain off. It has damp walls so doesn't look tanked (waterproofed from ground water) so not good for coal storage.

A homebuilt bomb shelter is a possibility, though a bit of a poor design. Could be secret storage or bolt hole.

@PriamFarrl

I’ve actually read the comments so I didn’t have any suggestions about what it may be.

But if it’s meant to fill with rain water why isn’t it full?

You’d need the guttering from the roof to still be connected to it.

@me109f

A coal hole would have basement access to it for shovelling coal into a scuttle and bringing it into the house. It would not also be accessable to the neighbours and there would be an angle roofed access to keep the rain off. It has damp walls so doesn't look tanked (waterproofed from ground water) so not good for coal storage.

A homebuilt bomb shelter is a possibility, though a bit of a poor design. Could be secret storage or bolt hole.

I've always wondered about this as our coal hole doesn't have basement level access just a ladder. I've a horrible feeling people did have to climb out of there up a ladder carrying a scuttle full of coal...