Cupboard under the stairs. House built in 1895

Rexxel

Hello!

I have lived in my terraced house for 5 years now. The cupboard under the stairs (accessed from living room) has been used for storage of tools & leftover tiles etc. I’m not fully sure what the best thing to do with it is. I would like to make it a more organised space and wanted to ask if anyone else with a similar cupboard did anything in particular to ‘prepare’ the cupboard before installing shelves etc.

In it’s current state, there are gaps and it smells musty. I’m not sure if it was built this way or whether there was a cellar that has been blocked off.

So I am wondering the following things:
1. What have you done with yours?
2. Do we need a DPC and add plasterboard etc?
3. Were houses from this era (1890s) often built with cellars that were later blocked off?

Thanks!