Mike Raised A Point About The 'A' Frames,

in our attic,

 two steel rods I guess give strength to the floor joists,

and Mike was wondering if they supported or helped hang the floor and I guess could be removed,

well the answer is yes, they can be removed, this is the flat in the opposite end of the building, it is a self contained flat with its own internal communal staircase, all converted well before more stringent rules came into force regarding fire regulations, regrettably as we wanted an internal staircase from our flat rather than a communal staircase, we fell foul of all sorts of building regulations, hence our loft ladder rather than a permanent staircase, still it gives you some idea of what can be done, if only we had the money to fireproof it!