All of the information you require to claim this cache can be found when stood on the pavement, there is no need to enter the building nor walk in the adjoining road.
William Wynard, Recorder of Exeter, founded these almshouses along with the adjoining chapel of the Holy Trinity and Maison Dieu to house a priest and twelve poor or infirm men and placed it under the supervision of the Mayor of the city.
The buildings were restored in 1640 and again in 1861 before coming under the control of Exeter Municipal charities in 1950. The buildings were listed as Grade II* in 1953 and despite this an unsuccessful attempt was made to demolish them in 1967. They are now owned by Exeter City Council.
The walls are constructed from red breccia and the doors and windows carved from yellow sandstone. These are both types of sedimentary rock yet they have different properties. As you will note both have suffered from weathering over the years.
Breccia is a sedimentary rock formed from broken angular fragments of other rocks that are bound together by a much finer matrix. Breccias differ from conglomerates which are sedimentary rocks consisting of round fragments of other rocks.
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand sized particles compacted by the pressure of overlying rock or deposits. Minerals precipitate in to the tiny gaps between the grains and cement the sand grains in place.
Weathering is the process by which rocks are broken down when exposed to the atmosphere. This can take many forms including chemical weathering (where a reaction takes place between the rock and an air or water-borne element), physical weathering (where changes in temperature or location cause the rock to break apart) and biological weathering (where living organisms break down the rock to obtain nutrient or protection)
You can claim a find by sending me a message with the answers to the following questions:
1) Describe the appearance and texture of both types of stone. Which of the two types of rock appears most vulnerable to weathering?
2) Choose a part of the building around head height and measure how far both types of stone have receded. For this question we are going to assume that the walls were once smooth and that weathering has been constant. If one type of stone weathers by 0.01mm per year and the other weathers by 0.2mm per year calculate how many years this has taken. Using these figures give an estimate for the construction date of the building and show your working.
Example: stone 1 has receded by 10mm at 0.01mm per year suggesting the building is 1000 years old. Stone 2 has receded by 100mm at 0.2mm per year suggesting the building is 500 years old. Using average of these two values I think the building is 750 years old.
3) Suggest two reasons why the rate of weathering is unlikely to have been constant throughout the life of the building.
4) Optional task, take a photograph of the building with you and/or your device