Old Stones Continued

The builders of these old houses have left some intriguing traces. For example, what do you make of the picture above?  It consists of two little niches in the wall, one over the other and about 8 inches wide ( say 20 centimeters for you moderns ) The stone between the niches is pierced by a hole the size of a broom handle. ( What do you mean,you`ve never seen a broom?  OK, 3 centimeters wide,then.) Well I`ll tell you. It is a hitching point to tether an animal, a horse, goat or a cow. Saves using expensive ironwork.
  What about the photo on the left? A stone slab with a central runnel juts from a wall. This is the overflow from the old-fashioned stone sinks that can be seen built into the outside walls of old local houses. The slab carries the discarded water clear of the wall into the street ( ! ) where it can drain away without affecting the foundations or using costly metal pipes. There would have been a small round window above it but it has been blocked up.
  If you keep your eyes open you can see many such traces  mute witnesses of a vanished way of country life.   Bye for now