Al_Fel Posted April 30, 2020 Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 I'm doing an extension and I've been digging the garden back to make space for a patio area. Can anyone help me identify what this box is or was? It's been back filled with all melted junk. It's got a steel bar that goes around the outside of the ledge. It looks like there were corrugated tiles going up around that step too. Any help appreciated I've already ruled out Aliens/Lost ancient technology so we can all skip that joke. Thanks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted April 30, 2020 Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 I have no idea, but that's a cool find! Amazing to think what's buried around the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aener Posted April 30, 2020 Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 No idea, but now infinitely more interested in knowing than the work I'm supposed to be doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted April 30, 2020 Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 Could it be some kind of boot scraper / bath? Looks a bit big for it, but I've seen some Victorian scrapers with a little bath... maybe that old metal you found is part of the scraper? Probably not, but it's all I could think of... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted April 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 I really haven't got a clue what it could be. The edge around it has like corrugated tiles in vertically. They have been broke off and just the bottom of them is left so I don't know how high they would go up. I don't know what the recess is for on the bottom right either. The step slopes into it whatever it is. I thought that was some kind of drainage but its just blank. My initial thoughts when I started digging it out was air raid shelter of some kind. Maybe for a single person but I very much doubt that. I'm curious as to why it was cast with the rounded corners? I might have to start digging underneath it and see how thick the base is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted April 30, 2020 Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 Hard to get a sense of scale from the photos, how long is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted April 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 The internal dimensions are 4ft long and 20 inches wide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted April 30, 2020 Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 Looks about 3ft deep. Midget coffin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogre Posted April 30, 2020 Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 that is part of a conveyer belt mechanism for testing if aircraft can take off if the speed of the belt matches the speed of the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted April 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2020 6 minutes ago, Luke Rainbird said: Looks about 3ft deep. Midget coffin. The garden is raised about 3ft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topsy Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 First thought was that it was for water/food for animals. Second thought is that I've got no clue. You could get it out and make a nice fountain out of it though. Any idea when all the soil got dumped on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marg26 Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 Slag... Furnace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted May 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 7 hours ago, Topsy said: First thought was that it was for water/food for animals. Second thought is that I've got no clue. You could get it out and make a nice fountain out of it though. Any idea when all the soil got dumped on it? The current house was build late 70's early 80's but that was to replace the original house that was built earlier (The gable ends of the houses in the street were cracking and it was cheaper to just build new houses). Not sure when though. One of the neighbours mentioned something about an underground stream and another one said the water table is high. He seemed to think it could have housed a pump of some kind to keep on top of the water. I very much doubt that though. Virtually everyone has said it looks like some kind of animal feeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 Clearly a sarcophagus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted May 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 Managed to lift the box up a bit and prop it up with bricks. I also dug under the square bit. I though there might be some kind of drainage but there wasn't anything there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Yoshi Posted May 1, 2020 Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 Where about in the country is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted May 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2020 1 hour ago, Little Yoshi said: Where about in the country is it? Bootle near Liverpool. Johnston Avenue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Yoshi Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 Spoke to my mates dad who works for historic Scotland. He says you should get in touch with the local authorities as it could be worth something, it's the corners that's got him interested. He's thinking it's something more than just an old arms cache. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted May 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 I've been doing some "digging" the other kind and word on the street is it used to be Farmland in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT! Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 Post it to r/whatisthisthing. Someone will tell you what it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aener Posted May 2, 2020 Report Share Posted May 2, 2020 And report back with the answer. I want to know! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted May 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 I posted it on a local facebook page. Most people seem to think its a horse trough/feeder, some people seem to think its a septic tank. I don't think its big enough to be a septic tank personally but you never know. A few people have also said its the bottom of an air raid shelter but again I don't think its big enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topsy Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 I feel like It'd also be a bit of an odd construction for an air raid shelter really, especially with Anderson's and Morrison shelters available. Maybe it's some kind of ritualistic baby drowing thing or whatnot. The corners seem quite complicated for a simple trough, but what do I know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsMatt Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 looks like some sort of old stunt facility Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davetrials Posted May 15, 2020 Report Share Posted May 15, 2020 Go here, you will have answer in 24 hours, reddits amazin. https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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