Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what this massive hole under our garden is?

163 replies

Greatbighole · 10/12/2021 09:53

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.

To ask what this massive hole under our garden is?
To ask what this massive hole under our garden is?
To ask what this massive hole under our garden is?
OP posts:
giraffe13 · 12/12/2021 12:09

Love the romantic suggestions but it's definitely a "shit pit" we live in a house built in 1902 and have one identical in our garden. We aren't on mains sewers so ours is still in use today. It would've been cleaned out when your modern sewers wee installed and there was no more use for it.

To ask what this massive hole under our garden is?
007Stocko · 12/12/2021 12:27

Before you lost the slate down it surely it would have filled up with water as the slates sit side by side and therefore not sealed. If it was a coal hole or a bunker then surely it would need some form of proper access. It certainly wouldn't be a ces pit as it doesn't show any sign of drainage (as effluent into the pit or an overflow, and I know a few people with ces pits and they are all away from the house not under it. Ces pits then have a manhole to empty via and not a hole that big.

Talk to the neighbour, its an unusual way to make acquaintances but a good enough reason, or post on the local facebook page and ask who knows anything about them.

Spidey66 · 12/12/2021 12:36

I showed it to my husband ... I thought air raid shelter and he's fascinated by that kind if thing. He doesn't think it is but suggested it used to hold a septic tank.

Sparklepants53 · 12/12/2021 12:39

Chamber of Secrets 🤩

Spidey66 · 12/12/2021 12:41

Ok I've realised you've worked it out. Note: RTFT or at least updates!

OhWhyNot · 12/12/2021 13:30

So it was built to collect rain water

But what have the previous owners used it for Wink

I had a basement in an old flat of mine was a little creepy. What made it worse was there was a little gap and I could see the basement of the flat next door but they had no entry to their basement
Or so they said ……

grandageorge · 12/12/2021 15:38

Rainwater harvesting for climate change - so advanced!

PerkingFaintly · 12/12/2021 15:39

@grandageorge

Rainwater harvesting for climate change - so advanced!
The old 'uns are the good 'uns!
me109f · 12/12/2021 22:48

Septic tanks (I have one) are kept away from the house and have top water overflow piping to drain the clean(er) water away from a house into a garden. Even with a cover they stink!
I quite like the idea of of it being a rainwater collection cistern with a hand pump.

MiddleAgedBlokeHere · 20/12/2021 14:43

A bomb shelter wouldn't be that close to the house, you'd want it well away from falling masonry.

SoupDragon · 20/12/2021 15:01

Thank goodness a man is here to tell us what it isn't 10 days after we've found out what it is!

Leftbutcameback · 20/12/2021 22:16

OP - are you going to see if you can connect it back up again? Would be great to have rainwater storage for plants, car washing etc. Unless you have lots of water butts already.

Ubiquery · 20/12/2021 22:19

MiddleAgedBlokeHere

Brilliant!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page