Dumfries Flat Renovation Uncovers 1940s Time Capsule Under Floorboards
Marketing manager Kirsty Geddes and local joiner Jordan Walters discover fire extinguisher, D-Day newspapers and wartime artefacts during top floor apartment renovation in Great King Street
نظرة سريعة
- Kirsty Geddes, a 37-year-old marketing and communications manager, discovered a 1940s time capsule while renovating her top floor flat in Great King Street, Dumfries.
- Working with local joiner Jordan Walters, she uncovered artefacts including a 1942 fire extinguisher, newspapers from the week after D-Day, an empty tin of whole chicken in jelly, and an Armstrong and Dickie stout bottle.
- The finds also include cigarette packs, household cleaners, 'flit powder' insect repellent, and envelopes addressed to Mrs Latimer.
ملخص مُنشأ بالذكاء الاصطناعي
لماذا يهم
The discovery was made during routine renovation work in a traditional Scottish townhouse. The artefacts provide a snapshot of daily life in Dumfries during World War II, including items from local manufacturers like Armstrong and Dickie which operated at the former aerated waterworks site at Whitesands.
Since Kirsty Geddes bought her flat in Dumfries last August, she has been busy renovating her new home. With the help of her local joiner, Jordan Walters, she has gutted the top floor apartment in Great King Street - and uncovered a 1940s treasure trove under the floorboards.
Among their finds is a fire extinguisher dating from 1942, newspapers from the week after D-Day, and a tin of "whole chicken in jelly" - fortunately empty. Now Kirsty, a marketing and communications manager, hopes to use her discoveries to build a picture of the history of the building.
Other artefacts include an empty bottle of Armstrong and Dickie stout, likely produced at the former aerated waterworks site at the nearby Whitesands. A copy of the Daily Mail dated 12 June 1944 - days after D-Day - reports that "battle rages around empty Caen" and "trap closing on Nazis". From the Sunday Mail, 1 October 1944, the headline reads: "Allies are poised for Autumn assault on Germany".
A number of cigarette packs and games cards, household cleaners and an insect repellent, called 'flit powder', have also been found. Geddes, who is a designer by trade, said the variety of typography and design was fascinating.
"It's really exciting to know that there is a lot of history within the building," she said. "The fire extinguisher was one of the first things that I found within the property and I was quite cautious when I saw it because it looks so far removed from a usual fire extinguisher. It's really beautiful to see the iteration of where fire extinguishers came from and where they are now."
The 37-year-old also found the remnants of two envelopes and would like to establish who they were addressed to.
"I think they were actually destined for the recycling centre but I managed to pull them out before they got there," she said. "And there's the address of the property on there and there's a name. We think it's Mrs Latimer, but we're not 100 per cent sure. There's also a magazine with the name 'Jone' on it, which could potentially be another clue."
Kirsty is now planning to study the original, hand-drawn, title deeds for the building with the hope of matching up the name from the envelopes with a previous owner.
أسئلة مفتوحة
- Who was Mrs Latimer and when did she live in the property?
- Who was 'Jone' and what was their connection to the building?
- What was the complete history of the building's residents during the 1940s?
- Were there any other historical artefacts that were discarded before Kirsty rescued them?
