That sounds like an entirely normal Victorian coal hole and cellar. Apart from growing up in a house with one of those (the cellar had been partly walled off and turned into a storage cellar), I also rented a shabby old Victorian place in London a couple of years ago, with coal hole still intact:



Unfortunately, the first heavy rain saw the cellar flooded, so the landlord came around and sealed it off with a ruddy great paving stone on top.

Quote from: Kipper on December 02, 2013, 07:32:20 PM
Wow, outside coal bunkers! We had to open a trapdoor in the living room floor, go down the rotten steps and shovel up the coal from the cellar. The coal men used to deliver it through a round metal "manhole" in the street outside the front window, and it slid down a chute into the cellar. Made my bike filthy too.

That seems to have been the pattern here too. A lot of the Swansea houses still have the former coal hole entrance visible, in some cases its been glazed so the cellar gets light. Most of ours seem to have been square and more like pub cellar doors.

Now that's an idea... barrels in the basement, bar in the lounge, coal cellar hatch re-opened 

Now THAT'S an excellent idea. 

It seems that we lived in luxury compared to you folk, then.... in 1964 a young Bealman moved into a new council house in the North East of England, which had a matching brick outhouse with a coal HOUSE next door to it! Full size door and everything. You could actually walk into it! And kip in it, as Bealman Senior had to one night when Bealman's mam wouldnt let him in 'cos he was p.... well, you know. 

P...leased to see her? 

  EXACTLY what I meant!! 

Downside of the coal hole, these days, is the ease of access for those of a scrote nature, who come in that way to burgle your house. Now need a bolt on the trapdoor, and put the sofa over it (to avoid tripping over the bolt!).