How to ventilate a small cellar in a back to back house

[PetalPower]

I have recently purchased a 2 bed back to back terrace house which was built in approx 1860. There is a small cellar under the kitchen which leads to a coal shute which is below the pavement. This currently has a coal shute cover with holes in. The coal shute part of the cellar is very damp and water is entering in to the cellar via the coal shute cover holes when it rains. The rest of the cellar is not that damp. There are steel joists below the small kitchen floor. The lounge has a solid floor.

I am aware that the first priority will be to stop water ingress. The coal shute cover is larger than the size of those on Ebay/for sale new. Therefore, I think the holes need to either be sealed in the coal shute cover e.g. Put tin underneath or put in a new stone flag so there is no hole.

What I would particularly like advice on is how to ventilate the cellar. I have posted on another forum. It was suggested I try passive ventilation. One suggestion has been to grind out a hole in the pavement against the wall and then build up around it with one layer of bricks and one layer of air bricks with a stone slab on top. I would like to know how I could put two vents in e.g. One that goes in to the lower part of the coal shute area and one that justs goes in to the top of the coal shute area so there is a bit of a circulation. Do the vents need to be moisture resistant?

Any advice on what to do Re: Stopping water going in and particularly ventilating the cellar would be really helpful.

 

[mattylad]

Can you remove the coal hole cover ?

You could get some big(M10+) bolts with domed heads and put them through the cover's holes, big washer and nut on the inside, copious amounts of sealant between them when fitting.
This would prevent water seeping through the holes when it rains.

Mine does not have holes in but I have sealed it shut with black sealant.

As for adding ventilation, I cannot advise for not knowing the layout of the cellar.
The holes in the coal hole lid are designed to allow ventilation but when it rains water will run down the walls onto the cover and through the holes.
You could do what you suggested but utilise the coal hole and the lid in it's current state by putting a ring around it to prevent water coming down and then a vent - although this is going to be a trip hazard.