Why is my bathroom filled with concrete!

[neds]

Well I'm putting in a shower in the corner of my bathroom where the old hot water tank was. I ripped it all out and where I thought would be floorboards is filled with concrete!

See pics:

As you can see I've taken a corner section out to see how deep and see whats actually holding the concrete in. Its basically another set of smaller sort of joist running across and some 1" floorboards laid flat across that. This strip of concrete is across the whole wall and I cant understand why this was done.

Its causing a hell of a lot more work for me as the drainage is going to be a nightmare and re-routing the hot and cold as well.

Any Ideas what this could have been? Trying to avoid taking it all out if I can, will have to work around it.

 

[JohnD]

hearth for old fireplace.

So that falling coals would not burn the house down

I presume it has been bricked up, or the breast removed, or you would have noticed. You can remove the concrete and redo the floor in timber if you want.

You might need to fix one or two joist hangers to the wall

 

[neds]

Hmm thats interesting and it makes sense why that was done, and I tell a lie, taken more of the floor out and its about 3 foot wide. However that part of the building was a 'newer' extension built after the main 1880's terraced was built so not sure where the chimney went.

Thanks I was thinking of taking it all out and building it up again, going be a lot of rubble!