A worn pair of workman’s boots and a swimming pool voucher are among the forgotten items found under the floorboards of Buckingham Palace during its restoration.
Over the past decade, the palace has undergone a £370 million refurbishment that has seen electrical wiring replaced, plumbing and heating upgraded and infrastructure repaired to prevent long-term damage.
The extensive renovation has brought together a treasure trove of historic items, from an empty packet of Silk Cut cigarettes, the brand Queen Camilla once smoked, to a nearly 140-year-old snippet of West End theater listings from the Standard newspaper in 1889.
A whist drive ticket, organized by the Royal Court social club almost 80 years ago, was also among the newly discovered items, along with an empty voucher for a 1957 Littlewoods football pool table and a pair of scuffed black studded boots.
A detailed printed schedule was also found containing all the schedules and directions needed for Queen Elizabeth II’s diplomatic reception in 1977, her Silver Jubilee year, indicating that the monarch would work the hall “clockwise”.
Misplaced items found under floorboards or other areas of the royal residence during construction work offer a glimpse into the lives of the people who worked and lived behind the scenes at the monarchy’s headquarters.
A coupon for a 1957 Littlewoods football pool was also discovered.
A pair of shoes with nails was among the forgotten items discovered during the restoration of Buckingham Palace.
An empty pack of Silk Cut cigarettes was also found.
They remained hidden for decades, preserved inside the palace, before being discovered by workers carrying out renovations to the building’s infrastructure.
Samples of electrical wires covered with vulcanized Indian rubber (VIR) cables, which posed the greatest fire risk to the building, were also found, with cables, which become brittle with age, being removed as a priority when the project, due to be completed next year, began in 2017.
So far, about 2 km of rubber cables have been replaced – the equivalent of the length of 40 Olympic-size swimming pools.
A small, once white Vist Drive ticket, worth 6p and dated April 14, 1949, during the reign of the King’s grandfather, George VI, was found embedded in a piece of building stone.
The pass for a staff meeting of the Palace Social Club, where people were expected to play progressive rounds of the classic card game of taking bribes, reads: “Royal Household Social Club – Buckingham Palace: A Whist Drive to Wait,” followed by the faded stamped date “April 14, 1949.”
In April 1949, Queen Elizabeth II was still Princess Elizabeth and had been married to Prince Philip for less than 18 months, and their eldest son, the current king, then Prince Charles, was only five months old.
Princess Margaret (pictured in 1991) was known to be a heavy smoker.
A fragment of a West End theater timetable from The Standard magazine, November 29, 1889.
Invitation to the Royal Household Social Club event at Buckingham Palace “Vist Drive”
Among the items found was a tin mug.
A copy of the Daily Express newspaper of Tuesday 1 February 1966, showing a photograph of the prison where the Great Train Robbery was held.
Wooden junction box
Decorative ceramic tiles Minton for the fireplace hearth
Examples of electrical wires covered with vulcanized Indian rubber.
Bottle of still spring water Schweppes Malvern English
Another item found was a series of actual photogravure reproductions of the “Dignity” prints, containing six autographed Christmas cards and envelopes.
Pages from a 1966 Daily Express newspaper were also discovered detailing the “maximum security” prison where the Great Train Robbers are held, with a picture of the inside of Durham Gaol and a story that “men found guilty of stealing fortunes in mail bags spend a week stitching them together for nine shillings.”
Instructions to royal staff at the 1977 Diplomatic Reception stated that the Queen and other members of the Royal Family would move around the ballroom “clockwise”.
Aides were also asked to persuade 350 British guests to mingle with diplomats at the glitzy annual meeting, where the dress code would be white tie and jewelry or national dress and royal women would wear tiaras.
“British guests will be assigned to the state rooms, with the exception of the Music Room and the West Gallery, where they should be invited to speak with diplomats,” the hand-typed letter read.
It added: “In the ballroom, Her Majesty and other members of the Royal Family will move around the room in a clockwise direction.”
He also warned that smoking is prohibited in some of the state rooms and the reception is on a strict timetable, saying: “Drinks will be served to guests in the Blue Drawing Room, State Dining Room and West Gallery from 9:30 pm to 10:00 pm.”
“Guests assigned to the ballroom will be served drinks in the ballroom annex from 9:30 p.m. until approximately 10:15 p.m. Smoking is not permitted in any of these rooms.”
Other finds included a piece of decorative Minton ceramic tile from a fireplace mantel whose design dates to around the mid-1800s, an antique pewter mug, a bottle of Schweppes Still Malvern English spring water, a wooden distribution box and a faded box containing six Christmas cards.