Guildhall restoration uncovers time capsule

The Guildhall Restoration Project is giving the grand old building at the heart of the city a facelift that will secure its iconic status and cultural relevance for generations to come, but the unearthing of the time capsule by stone masons last month has opened up a conduit to into the Guildhall's very origins over 120 years ago.

The capsule which, is a glass vessel, contains coins and documents that were placed on site at the laying of the foundation stone of the Guildhall (then known as the Town Hall) on August 23, 1887.

Patricia Crossan, Architect with Derry City Council City Engineers Department, explained that restoration work is currently underway to the external fabric of the Guildhall, including the stonework, which in turn led to the discovery of the time capsule.

"Stones are identified for repair or replacement on site as necessary, and it so happened that the foundation stone was marked for removal by Consarc Design Group, Lead Consultants and Conservation Architects on the project.

"Although Council were aware of the existence of the time capsule after it was highlighted in Annesley Malley's 'Report on the History of the Londonderry Guildhalls' we were not sure of its exact location.

"The foundation stone did not display any markings to identify it so we are delighted to have uncovered it during this work," she said.

The foundation stone, below which the time capsule was found, was laid 123 years ago by Sir J Whittaker Ellis, Governor of the Honourable The Irish Society and Sir Thomas Leckey, (Mayor of the city at that time). An extract from the Londonderry Sentinel, dated August 25, 1887 gives a detailed account of the laying of the foundation stone and the placing of the time capsule and a full itinerary of its contents.

"The Governor, having assisted to level the bed of stone, gave the order for the upper block of stone to be lowered.

"A large vessel, hermetically sealed, had previously been placed in the cavity in the lower stone by Mr Robert Colhoun, one of the firm of contractors.

"The contents of the jar were copies of the latest numbers of the local papers, copy of the London Times, a statement concerning the hall, with the names of Irish Society and of the corporation; the new coinage of the realm, including sovereign, half-sovereign, crown piece, double florin, half-crown six pence, three-penny piece, penny and halfpenny."

The account then goes on to detail that a steel case containing photographs of some of the dignitaries, taken the previous day, was placed below the time capsule but, as Roisin Doherty, Head of Derry City Council's Museum Services, explained, this has not been found.

"When we read the report and it talked about a steel case also being placed in the stone at the foundation ceremony, we were hopeful that we would also discover it as well but so far we haven't been able to find it," she said.

However, despite that minor disappointment, Roisin says that Museum Services have been elated by the discovery of the time capsule.

"The Guildhall is an iconic building for the city. Given the city's links to The Honourable the Irish Society and the whole history of the city's connections with London, actually finding this time capsule with items relating to The Honourable the Irish Society from the Guildhall's very foundation is amazing.

"The last time this vessel was open, the last hands to touch these items were those people back in 1887, it emphasises that human side to the story.

"It also symbolises the Guildhall's position as a hub of the city for over a century.

"The Guildhall is like the civic heart of the city – it's a shared space. It is used for everything from tea dances to formulating policy.

"It has been the focal point of so many events. It is where we gather as a city for events of major significance.

"So from an archaeological and historical point of view finding those items and documents intact is fantastic.

"It is fitting as well that this was found during building work because in the time capsule you also have a plaque relating to the Colhoun Brothers who were the contractors on site in 1887," she said.

Craig McGuicken, Curator, Derry City Council Museum Services, says the significance of the artefacts comes from their historical context.

"This is certainly one of the most exciting 'finds' that I've come across in my career.

"We were all taken by surprise when we received the call telling us that something had been found within the stonework of the Guildhall. As soon as we saw it we knew it had to have been placed there deliberately – a time capsule from 1887.

"I think it's an enormously important collection of objects. The importance of course really lies in the context in which they were found.

"They were buried as a time capsule within the Guildhall in August 1887.

"The Guildhall is arguably the most iconic building in the city. It was being built when the city was a thriving commercial centre and it reflects what the city was like in 1887 with its growing sense of confidence.

"The objects reflect something of what life was like then, and the priorities and ambitions of the place.

"For example, the newspapers carry the events of the day, but they also include numerous advertisements for shipping lines.

"Derry may have been becoming commercially powerful, but at least some of this success was built on emigration from Ireland to North America.

"We are still in the process of researching the material that has been found, and we hope to be able to display it in the near future," he said.

Edward Montgomery of The Honourable The Irish Society was particularly delighted to get the opportunity to have a look at the objects which were placed by one his predecessors:

"It's fantastic to have the time capsule re-emerge after 130 years. Reading the newspaper descriptions of the ceremony and seeing the photographs of the ceremony really brings it all to life. It really reinforces the whole Honourable the Irish Society link with the city and with the Guildhall in particular," he said.