Party Walls
Party walls are internal walls between flats or tenements.
What are party walls?
Party walls are usually formed in brick and contain the flues from the individual fireplaces on both sides of the party wall leading up to the mutual chimney.
The walls are often quite thin behind fireplaces and wall presses in the front and back rooms. The wall press may have been converted into an alcove, but originally the press would have had a door and be lined with timber panelling. Behind the panelling there would be a very thin section of wall, sometimes formed from a slab of stone, sometimes a half brick wall. Noise can travel between apartments at these points.
Also, the wall tends to be thinner where the old bed recess area was, sometimes only a brick thick.
Who pays?
Party Wall repairs are normally mutual between the two tenements.