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What's this buried under our garden?

SandTSandT Posts: 70
in The potting shed

Historians!  Can you help us figure out what we found under our garden in London?

Underneath some decking, some paving slabs and below that about 10 cm of soil;  we found several long runs of slate panels.   Actually, one is marble. Each is about 4 foot long. They are a bit like mantelpieces.  Curiously, they were positioned on their long, thin end as if they were creating a border or bed.  It was like this all along the garden in straight lines, and they were very neat.  We've pulled them out but I'd love to know what's they might have been for.  We know that the previous owner bought the Victorian house the early 80s from a Cowboy developer  who chucked horrible paving slabs all over the garden, so the slate was underneath that. 

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Last edited: 25 February 2017 18:34:56

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  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    no idea, I'll be interested to see any suggestions



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Kitty 2Kitty 2 Posts: 5,150

    I agree with fireplaces.  The slate looks like a mantelpiece, the marble could be a hearth.

    As Muddle says, a nice find ?. Better than builders rubble or a pet graveyard.

    Trust you to spot the brolly Doghouseimage

  • SandTSandT Posts: 70

    Thought so!  They might have been shoved in the garden when they ripped out the fireplaces. We will use them as flower bed edging at the back I think ???

  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,500

    I think the paint tray in the corner is dated around 2014. Though I could be wrong.

  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713

    It seems that they are mantelpieces, but I was going to suggest they were hearths.  We had that style in our old Victorian house. They must have been extremely heavy to lift SandT

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,088

    We dismantled some ghastly red marble fireplaces when we renovated our Belgian farmhouse.  The slabs that survived ended up being used to top a bottle walla t seating height and one small one ended up as a windowsill in the downstairs loo.

    http://s211.photobucket.com/user/Obelixx_be/media/05%20Obelixx%20garden/06-05-2Bottlewallfromterrace_zps03381458.jpg.html?sort=2&o=54

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,905

    The slate one looks like a hearth to me as well GD

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016

    Stop everything and call in Time Team image

    It's amazing what you find when you start digging.  We had the concrete drive along the side of our house removed and replaced with block paving.  When the concrete was broken up the guys saw a bit of metal sticking up and decided to dig it out. It turned into a major operation.   We think it was an old cast iron boiler but aren't certain.  What we do know is it took 4 of them to get it out of the hole which ended up over 2 feet deep.  Why it was put in there in the first place is another mystery which will never be resolved.

  • AuntyRachAuntyRach Posts: 5,291

    Was also going to say about calling Time Team KT53! image hehe.

    They are a great idea for edging beds - a double (or even triple) up-cycle! 

    My garden and I live in South Wales. 
  • LoganLogan Posts: 2,532

    I would have said they could be part of graves. But if they were all in a row, they probably wasn't.

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