Weird metal bar in wall

DPJ

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Hi,
Just moved a bookcase that's been in place since we moved in and noticed the lining paper was peeling off & plaster sounded blown beneath it.

On further investigation I found this. Any ideas what it is? Looks like a metal bar (very rusty!). We're a 1930s end of terrace and that's on our external wall (upstairs). We had some damp problems a while back and had the roof done which seemed to sort that - the area in the photo is bone dry (although I guess wasn't once!) and the plaster just falls away if you pick at it. The wall also protrudes a little where the bar is - not that you'd see it, but you can definitely feel it if you run your hand over the lining paper.

Was hoping I could give the wall a quick skim, but looks like it might be beyond my skill set! Any thoughts about what it is and the best thing to do.

Thanks in advance.
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nothing in your photo to show scale.

stand back and show the whole wall

is there (was there) a chimneybreast?
 
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Good point about scale - should have though about that. Two more pics. One with measure and the other from further back. It’s about 20mm wide and looks like it runs the height of the room.

No chimney breast in the room, so not that.
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There’s also a socket directly below it, but there’s no power in the loft, so not sure what cable it would be protecting. Is it likely to be shielding?
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Disused gas pipe? I used to have a 1930's house with an iron gas pipe buried in the wall, originally supplying an upstairs gas fire.
 
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Disused gas pipe?
Could be - but why would that be going into the loft?

Electrical conduit
Guess so, but the power for the socket seems to come from below and there’s nothing going up from it as far as I can tell. Will turn off the power and investigate/ chip out more of the old plaster this weekend.
 
My disused gas pipe went from the old kitchen up into the loft and then down by the fireplace to supply the gas fire! Bloody thing took ages to get out.
 
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Hmm, the room’s above the gas meter, but nowhere near a fire or the kitchen, so could be! it’s not!
 
A 1930's house is quite likely to have electrical conduit. If you go into the loft you should be able to see it poking up out of the wall, perhaps with a junction box, T-joint or elbow on it, though that might have been hacked off. Gas pipe is much thicker. Or it could be a water pipe

Conduit is likely to be above where the fusebox was when the house was built, water pipe likely to be above where the kitchen stopcock was when the house was built, or the bathroom if different.

In a low-priced 1930's house electrical conduit likely to be in thin, black-painted steel tube, with a seam down the side. The thicker, screwed type was used in more expensive buildings.

Conduit would have been for the ceiling lamps and their switches.
 
Great info - thanks John!
It’s roughly above the circuit board and nowhere near the kitchen so unlikely to be water.
There is some old electrical cabling in the loft in that kind of area, so expect it’s that. Will have a look tomorrow.
 
Thanks everyone - have finally had time to investigate in the loft and found a (dead) cable lying under the insulation. Traced it back and it comes through the ceiling at about the right place. Also found a small hole with 2 cables poking out in the meter cupboard that have been cut but left in the wall and they're labelled old up and down lighting. So looks like it is electrical conduit that's no longer in use, but has the old cables in. When I take more of the plaster off I'll see if I can remove them so they don't confuse others (obviously with power off just to make sure!).

Thanks again for all the advice.
 
Disused gas pipe? I used to have a 1930's house with an iron gas pipe buried in the wall, originally supplying an upstairs gas fire.
Agree have 30's terrace and found the same in my wall, but was live. Will need removal as the rust will continue to destroy any patching.
 

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