Obscured Tiles & Springy Cave Floorboards!

[Coolcol]

Hi all,
Am in 71 and have a 1739 building that has not been opened up for years - until we got here to live full time.
Not too many gems in the place, but under the layers of lino (and until it dried out, the water held underneath it), appear to be some nice ceramics that we'd like to keep.
Unlike the red brick middle room flooring which I was able to expose by lifting the lion and judicously chipping the adhesive on top of soem form of floor leveller, I cannot remove what appears to be some form of very well glued card covering and the glue used on the two layers of lino over the tiles themselves.
Does anyone know of a solvent that may be able to loosen this strata of unwanted muck off the tiles?
Would simply wetting it down for a bit do - or how about soaking in Turps/Turps substitute (bear in mind the area concerned is adjacent a kitchen!).
AND (!) next: any chippies (sorry, carpenters)/brickies on-line, please?
Over the caves are some wide pine floorboards, again, previously covered by lino, but on inspection found to be ideal for the children to use as springboards, as the support joists have evaporated!
What I should like to know from the artisans amongst you is what were the floorboard supports built off? Without having lifted any of the boards yet, I do not know if the caves, curved on their inners, were topped off, flat, or if the tops were reciprocally curved?!
It would make sense for them to be flat, making the platforms for the overhead floorboards easier to construct -or perhaps they didn't bother and just threw a brick and some muck to harden on the side of a curved top cave and nailed the boards down off those?
Interestingly (maybe), the house has a definite mid-line and slope away from it where the caves and floorboards are concerned (should I be worried?!).
All thoughts appreciated.
C.

[LesLauriers]

As far as the solvent issue goes, go along to a decent Brico where you will find a product called Dcapitant, there are various different ones depending on the product you are trying to dissolve, then follow the instructions on the tin!