What are these things in between bricks?

[HComplex]

I'm trying to work out these rectangular bits are between bricks at various places around my house. There are a couple visible around windows (possibly due to mortar falling off around it?) but there's also one visible on the edge of the wall that the garage door sits inside.

Either way, they're all very lose and could be pulled out with no effort. They look like wood but feel extremely light and have lots of tiny holes in them.

I'm mostly asking out of curiosity but also thinking I should be taking the ones by the windows out and sealing the gaps to prevent water getting in?

 

[noseall]

I'm trying to work out these rectangular bits are between bricks

In t' olden days before we had such things as drill, joint sized wooden packers were built into openings jamb brick joints to allow timber frames to be nailed into. There is inevitable shrinkage and they do loosen once fixings have been removed.

 

[^woody^]

In t' olden days before we had such things as drill, joint sized wooden packers were built into openings jamb brick joints to allow timber frames to be nailed into. There is inevitable shrinkage and they do loosen once fixings have been removed.

Tell me more of these olden days of which you speak.

 

[stuart45]

I can remember putting them in partition walls. You would get a clout round the ear for getting the grain the wrong way.

 

[noseall]

Tell me more of these olden days of which you speak.

Tin baths were not only used to wash the father of the house (the rest of the family could have second dibs with the same water) but it doubled up as a plasterers mixing tub.

Doors and windows were made of wood and were painted in colours other than white or grey.

 

[^woody^]

Tin baths were not only used to wash the father of the house (the rest of the family could have second dibs with the same water) but it doubled up as a plasterers mixing tub.

Doors and windows were made of wood and were painted in colours other than white or grey.

Dad, mom the kids then the dog. Apparently.

I remember our street with all the different coloured soffits/fascia and barge boards as well as doors and windows. Orange was a thing IIRC.

 

[JohnD]

I can remember putting them in partition walls. You would get a clout round the ear for getting the grain the wrong way.

What's that?

Eh?

Pardon?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Tin baths were not only used to wash the father of the house (the rest of the family could have second dibs with the same water) but it doubled up as a plasterers mixing tub.

Doors and windows were made of wood and were painted in colours other than white or grey.

I'm surprised that I didn't come out grey after a bath - being the youngest I got in just before the dog. It used to take about 2 to 3 hours to heat the water in the copper which was built into the corner of the kitchen

 

[^woody^]

Oh, the good 'ole days

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Not really. Wiping the condensation off the windows every morning in winter (poor insulation, no central heating), having to clean out the grate every morning in autumn and winter (coal fires, "pocket money" chore), etc. Some things are better these days

 

[conny]

From a family of 7 plus 4 cousins, plus mum, dad and aunty all in a 3 bed Victorian terrace with an attic.
Dad was always first in the tin bath and had total privacy and the cleanest, hottest water. Then it worked it's way down the ranks from eldest to youngest. I was next to youngest so me and my little sister shared the final water. The good part was we never had to help to carry it out into the backyard to be tipped out.

In the winter we didn't have the luxury of wiping the condensation off the windows. We had to scrape the ice off instead.

 

[^woody^]

Wiping the condensation off the windows every morning in winter

Yes, but those swirly frost patterns were really something weren't they!

Yes I do remember the time when the fire downstairs was the only source of heat apart from the cooker. We're all too soft nowadays.

 

[DIYedboy]

I remember having a paraffin heater in the kitchen................wind the wick up, then lower to get blue flames, all the wardrobes had black mould in n we didn't know why (water from paraffin), we lived in a victorian semi (15ft high ceilings 13" walls, the landing wallpaper drop was A COMPLETE ROLL of wallpaper, blinkin house was colder than an ice cube) the condensation on the sash cord windows would freeze at the bottom into an ice slope

 

[catlad]

Aye.. tin bath! outside in the yard in summer and in the kitchen in winter.