Two more discoveries to share today!  The first is really cool!

As I mentioned before, we’re removing the current fireplace.  It’s not an original, and probably dates to the 40’s or 50’s.  When the guys lifted the hearthstone, they found some writing underneath.  The “61 Ralston” is fairly self-explanatory, and indicates our house.  The name “Hutcheson” tho is the really interesting bit.

The chap in the photo is one of our lovely builders called Alex.  His family name is Hutcheson, and they have been fireplace fitters going back to his grandfather’s time.  So, there’s every possibility this hearthstone was made for our builder’s grandfather to install in our house!

The other (less exciting) discovery came when we lifted the floor in the kitchen to access the gas pipes.  (The fire in my room was a gas fire, and while we’re not going to put in a gas fire right now, we wanted to make sure the pipework was ok for futureproofing.)  When we lifted the lino in the kitchen and raised the hatch next to the cooker, we discovered a load of newspaper, presumably to level out the spot where the boards had been cut.  The date on the newspaper is 22nd November 1996, so just under 30 years old.  Not ancient history, but still a fascinating snapshot into past times.