For Nearly 120 Years, A Message In A Bottle Lay Hidden In This Scottish Theater
For nearly 120 years, a message in a bottle lay hidden about 40 feet above the stage in the King’s Theater in Edinburgh, Scotland. The note was dated to 1906, which was the year that the historic theater opened.
A photographer named Mike Hume was taking a tour of King’s Theater when he discovered the message in a bottle.
He had been perched 40 feet above the stage to capture a good view of the red and gold centerpiece of the theater’s proscenium arch. He noticed a gap behind the decoration, so he reached over and stuck his hand in it.
“It really was like a scene out of Indiana Jones,” said Hume. “It was a bit damp, and there was all this crumbly plaster and stuff in there. Then, my hand stumbled on this solid object, and I pulled out this glass bottle.”
The small glass bottle was smeared with paint and sealed shut with plaster. It held a rolled-up piece of paper with inky writing.
He was unable to read the message in its entirety, but he could make out a handwritten year: 1906, which was when the theater opened.
Hume’s tour took place during a renovation of the King’s Theater, also known as the “Old Lady of Leven Street.” The message in the bottle was handed over to experts.
In December, the Scottish Conservation Studio removed the plaster seal and top of the bottle, but they could not remove the scroll without causing damage to it.
In February, a glass technician from the Edinburgh College of Art named Laura Clair removed the bottle’s base and successfully retrieved the scroll.
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It had become stuck together with age, so experts used chemicals to unroll it carefully. The note contained a list of contractors who built the King’s Theater together, including architects, draftsmen, plasterers, and apprentices.
The first name on the list was William Stewart Cruickshank, the owner of the building company that constructed the theater.
Next were architects John Daniel Swanston, James Davidson, and John Tulloch. The list also featured a father-son duo of plasterers.
“The significance of the message is that the list of names ranges from managers and directors to draftsmen, architects, and plasterers—people working on the site who were so proud of what they had built,” said Abby Pendlebury, the heritage engagement manager at the King’s Theater.
“There is pride and ownership in this note.”
The theater’s renovation will not be finished until 2026, but it will launch an online archive of more than 2,700 artifacts this spring.
The archive will contain old playbills, programs, costume designs, and now, the message in the bottle. They all represent the history of the theater. The latest discovery will honor the local people who built the theater.
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