Why is this flank wall so thick?

[jamesr36]

Hello

I design extensions and lofts for a living. Im dealing with a loft conversion on a small two bed, two storey end of terrace. The house was built around 1900. The flank wall is 500mm thick.

Any ideas of why this wall is so thick?

It is solid both sides so it is not dry lining or external insulation. It is rendered externally but there is a small section on the ground floor which is 240mm thick with bare bricks on the inside. It is not for loadbearing reasons as this is only a small two storey house. It is too old to have been built with big cavities or be no fines.

From the depths of my memory I remember working on a house with my dad many decades ago where a 9 inch solid wall had a thin skin of blockwork added internally and he said this was the proper way to deal with damp back in the day. Could it be that? – but surely the original foundation would not be wide enough.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

 

[stuart45]

Stone walls in cottages were often around 20 inches thick. It's unusual for an 18inch brick wall to be used on a 2 storey cottage.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I would suggest the wall might have been a remnant, perhaps from a much older building. I've come across old walls that thick before, usually two walls spaced apart, with rubble in fill. Really difficult to drill through, because the rubble drops to fill in the hole once you pull the drill bit out.

 

[stuart45]

They sometimes jam the drill as well.

 

[jamesr36]

Thanks for the replies. I don't think it is stone. In the loft I can see that the gable wall is certainly brick and there is a small section on the ground floor that is only 9 inch thick and internally it is painted brick.

There is a gap next to the house with a modern development on it. I suppose there could have been another house there that was knocked down and a wall left. Seems unlikely though.

I attach a picture if it helps.