Buckingham Palace works uncover trove of everyday items dating back to 1800sA collection of historic, forgotten items have been found during the restoration of the London royal residence.11 hrs agoLondon

A pair of battered, hobnailed boots and a decades-old newspaper cutting 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.

The royal residence in London is undergoing a 10-year refurbishment plan – funded through a temporary increase in the Sovereign Grant, which pays for the official duties of the royals. It is due to be completed in March.

Ageing cables, lead pipes, wiring and boilers are set to be replaced – many for the first time in 60 years – following concerns about potential fire and water damage.

Until now, many of the items have remained hidden within the building’s infrastructure.

Among the discoveries was a typed schedule detailing Queen Elizabeth II’s plans to host a diplomatic reception in her Silver Jubilee year of 1977.

It revealed the monarch would work the room in a “clockwise direction”, and that aides were asked to encourage the 350 British guests to mingle with the diplomats at the annual gathering.

“The British guests will be distributed throughout the State Rooms, except the Music Room and West Gallery, where they should be encouraged to talk to the Diplomats,” the sheet reads.

Blank Littlewoods Football Pool betting slips from 1957 and a scrap of West End theatre listings from The Standard newspaper in 1889 were also found, alongside fragments of Minton decorative ceramic tiles from a fireplace hearth, with the design dated to around the mid-1800s.

A pewter tankard, a wooden junction box and a faded box containing six Christmas cards were included in the haul.

Examples of electrical wire covered with vulcanised Indian rubber cabling were found. It was replaced as priority when the restoration began as it posed the greatest risk of fire to the building.

Also discovered were pages from the Daily Express newspaper in 1966 detailing the “maximum security” prison where the Great Train Robbers were incarcerated.

The article had pictures of Durham Prison, revealing that “the men who were found guilty of stealing a fortune in mailbags spend their week stitching them for nine shillings”.

Meanwhile, the whist drive ticket, priced at 6d or sixpence, would have taken place during the reign of King Charles III’s grandfather, George VI, hosted by the Buckingham palace social club.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are currently residing in Clarence House, which stands beside St James’s Palace and was once the Queen Mother’s home.

They will not live in Buckingham Palace after the refurbishment is completed.

The decision was also taken to allow greater public access to the landmark, officials said. The landmark may now also be able to open for a longer period, generating more income.

The King will continue to host a range of events at the palace, from state banquets and garden parties to receptions and audiences with the prime minister and new ambassadors.

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