Does anyone know what this box is for?

[Ian Howe]

Any of you knowledgeable people know what this is, 2 of them are one the ground near the front door of a house I'm purchasing.

 

[ipf]

you have 2 eyes and 2 balls. if 1 fails then the other one works. why not 2 earth rods?

Well, at least someone's got the meaning.....
there's nothing like a bit of insurance.

 

[stevels4]

One thing seems to be missing...the actual earth cable?

 

[Deuce]

One thing seems to be missing...the actual earth cable?

Exactly!

Best guess, the one in the photo is the original. then at a later date for whatever reason it was tested and found to not be sufficient. The new one was added and the connection transferred to that one.

If you really want to know, there is no reason you can't pull it up an inch or so and peak underneath to make sure it isn't connected to anything. Even if it was still connected you would have to have a fairly severe electrical fault in the house for it to be carrying any current.