Steve Walker wrote:

The internal stopcock for the water could be anywhere, often ending up
behind a cupboard or a fridge. The external one may be impossible to
find (ours was never found, but a new one was installed when United
Utilities had to sort a leak under the pavement).

Indeed! When I moved into this house ISTR being told that the
stop tap was at the back of a kitchen cupboard.

This cupboard housed a waste bin hung from the opening door. The
stop tap was beneath the bottom panel of the cupboard, which
could only be lifted once the bin had been removed from the door.

I got out a hole saw and cut an access hole, then had to use
pliers to get enough leverage to turn the tap.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
@ChrisJDixon1

Plant amazing Acers.