This shows the workbench and all irregularities that make me think there could be something behind the wall including the air vent, the holes in the wall, gaps where it looks like brick had just been shoved in and random pipes and wires that I can't think where they go except the kitchen.
You can buy a borescope and use it to see what's behind the bricks.
Yeah I'm thinking I might do that
If you don't want to purchase one, you might be able to rent one from home Depot as well.
I'm in the UK don't have home Depot and I don't really think tool renting is that popular here but I'll look into it.
Tool libraries lend them out for free in some areas too, but they usually depend on the local government or a not-for-profit to fund them.
Could it be that the current house was built over an old foundation of a previous house, perhaps because it would've been costly to excavate and remove all the old bricks and things?
Unlikely all these houses on my road were built at the same time and date back to 1890s and still have Victorian features you'd expect to see from a house built at that time, so I'm thinking that it was covered up at one point, there was a demolition project right in front of the house in the 1960s that I think caused structural damage to these houses as they were given a hefty compensation so it could have damaged the basement and was covered up. (Explains the rubble back there.
It’s been 17 days… any luck finding out what it is?
Don't know why but it keeps removing half the pictures I add but you can see some of what I'm talking about
You sure it's not just ordinary ventilation to keep moisture from being trapped in the wall and causing rot/mould?
It's been filled in and there's supposedly nothing behind it so no idea where it was originally venting from and it's in the middle of the house
And also this house is from the 1800s don't think they were particularly thinking of that, I don't know
Was definitely practice back then - it was already understood that without venting, the wood started to fall apart. Our house from the 1800s has all those features.