#urbanDetails of the day.
Anyone got a clue what this thing is, or was?
@ferrous Electric on/off switch of some sort, with a ring for a lock. Does that conduit lead to outdoor lights or something nearby?
@ferrous could it be a switch for an external awning? do you have another pic?
@ferrous or an opener of a valve in some chimney or rain water drain.
@ferrous Its an old exterior switch-box, or fuse-box, with electrical fuses that were once inside, and that ring is likely so that the switch handle could be locked with a padlock, or at least a fastener to keep in it place. It might have been the main switch for electricity that entered that structure.