This article describes how Victorians built foundations for buildings on swampy soils. I hope methods have improved since then. "Foundations of Buildings in Swampy Soil" from Cassell's Technical Educator.

Cisterns and Economy of Water - Ventilation of Pipes

We now proceed to give the detail of various inventions for storing and also for economising the supply of water. In the last century cisterns were almost invariably made of lead, in some cases cast solid of sufficient thickness to be fixed without external casing; the outside was often decorated with panelling in designs, and sometimes with coats of arms. The usual mode, however, was to provide a strong wooden cistern, which was subsequently lined with lead soldered together at the angles, either cast in sheets or rolled in a mill, described in the first case as "cast" and in the latter as "milled" lead; and this latter system is still extensively in use.

by Gilbert R. Redgrave from Cassell's Technical Educator. (Written in the late 19th century.)
COPING BRICKS - MOULDED BRICKS - GAUGED BRICKS - TILES - ROOFING AND DRAIN TILES.

by Gilbert R. Redgrave from Cassell's Technical Educator. (Written in the late 19th century.)

The manufacture of flooring tiles has, we think, made greater progress during the present century than any other branch of the ceramic art; and this industry as now practised in Staffordshire, presents many features of great interest, and differs in many respects from the manufacture of the coarser wares we have noticed in our previous chapters. The old fashioned 9 inch or 12 inch tiles made in wooden moulds in the same way as bricks are made, have now been almost entirely superseded by the thin machine made tile, which has scarcely one point in common with its clumsy prototype.

This article describes how Victorians built foundations for buildings. Have methods improved since then? Do modern buildings suffer less from subsidence? "Foundations of Buildings in Unfavourable Soil - Piled Foundations" from Cassell's Technical Educator.