What is this? Found it in the garden

[laurisse]

Moved house recently and found this in the mad overgrown garden. Feels like it's made of lead. Some sort of decorative panel? House was built 1900 ish. Anyone know? Thanks

Looks the same age as the house - about 1900s. Back of a fire place which wasn’t used? Nice!

Is it a plaque and flat at the back or a container of some sort?

Tbf it's probably just a piece of an old planter, before I get too excited...

I dunno but it's lovely

It's cast - so the back isn't flat but a bumpy reverse version of the front.

Is it from some sort of old water feature. Just thinking that the dolphins/whales appear to have little holes near where their blow holes would be. Very interesting.

It is isn't it? The holes do look a bit like someone might have hung it on a wall. Only water feature I can think of is the old outside loo

Upside down dolphins? Are you near the sea?
Your bricks and windowsill are exactly the same as ours!

Do you think it could be zinc rather than lead?

Not near the sea - London! Not even that near the Thames.

Could be zinc - not very knowledgable about metals. It feels like a soft metal though,like you could dent it.

Lead is really really heavy

Could it be part of a guttering cover or guttering box? They used to be made of lead, a bit like this...

It is really really heavy! Prob about 3kg, and it's not huge. About 25cms square.

It does look like its made out of lead. Its beautiful

I think you might be onto something @chrisrobin - the house has been altered a fair bit (new guttering etc) so I couldn't be sure but your pic looks like the same texture...

Could it be a piece from the rainwater drainage on the side of the house?

i would get in touch with either a local auction house or reclamation company and get it valued people nowadays are looking at putting back all the original age features that were ripped out in the 1970s you never know it may be worth a bob or two, it definitely looks the right age and if its heavy is probably lead or cast iron

rain hopper? i'm thinking watery because of the dolphins, what a lovely find

I was thinking hopper too. I think they might be whales rather than dolphins though.

Could it be a fire insurance mark?