I have just removed the chimney breast from the rear of my victorian
terrace and noticed that even though there is no real cavity there is a
gap of about an inch. I'm about to brick up the whole left by the
chimney breast but wondered if there is anything I can put in the small
cavity to improve the insulation.

On a related point, I have been browsing the web trying to find out how
to improve the insulation of solid walls. There is plently of general
advice -it sounds like the best option is external insulation- but I
can't find a company who actually supply the materials required or a
company which will install external insulation.

Does anyone have experience with this? I live in Aldershot, Hampshire.

Considering the number of houses in the UK with solid walls it is
surprisingly hard to persue this option. Loft insulation and cavity
wall insulation seem to get all the attention. I suppose these
approaches have a better return on investment, but I can't see all the
victorian houses being demolished any time soon so I would expect to
find more companies offering solutions.

thanks
Thomas