Buckingham Palace works uncover trove of everyday items dating back to 1800s
Restoration work at Buckingham Palace has uncovered a collection of historical items hidden under floorboards, including 1940s betting slips and 1970s royal schedules. These artifacts provide a unique glimpse into the daily lives of palace staff over the last century.
Why it matters
The discovery offers a rare, human-centric perspective on the history of a major global landmark during its extensive infrastructure modernization.
Image source, PA Media Image caption, A coil of vulcanised indian rubber cabling, which posed the greatest risk of fire to the building (bottom left), was among the items discovered
A pair of battered, hobnailed boots and a newspaper cutting dating back nearly 140 years are among a trove of everyday objects unearthed during restoration work at Buckingham Palace.
The misplaced items are thought to belong to staff who worked at the palace decades ago, and were found by workers carrying out the £369m refurbishment.
A ticket for a "whist drive" - a card game event hosted by the palace on 14 April 1949 - was found embedded in a lump of brick.
Several betting slips, a bottle of Schweppes Still Malvern English Spring Water, an empty Silk Cut cigarette carton and a newspaper article about the gang jailed for the 1963 Great Train Robbery were also found under floorboards.
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