Ace History Desk – A theatre-lover was “astonished” to find a 119-year-old message in a bottle during a special behind-the-scenes tour of Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre.
Mike Hume was on scaffolding 40 feet (12m) above the stage when he put his hand in a gap behind an ornate crown decoration and found the century-old bottle.
After months of painstaking effort, experts managed to extract the note from inside and found a list of the people who built the theatre in 1906.
Mr Hume, who is one of the theatre’s donors, was on the tour of its £40m restoration works when he made the find.
The 48-year-old said it was curiosity that caused him to reach behind the crown.
“It really was like a scene out of Indiana Jones,” he said.
“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.”
Although the top of the bottle had been dipped in plaster, to keep it sealed, Mr Hume could see a note inside.
Using his phone to photograph the folded-up note, he could just about make out the name in handwritten ink – “W S Cruikshank” – the contractor who built the Edwardian theatre.
Theatre bosses were unable to open the bottle after it was found on 6 December, so it was sent to specialists who carefully cut the top off.
Inside was a note which had become glued together with age, so experts used special techniques and chemicals to prise it apart.
BBC Scotland News asked the genealogy service Findmypast to help uncover the story behind the men who left the note.
The top name on the list was prominent Edinburgh builder William Stewart Cruickshank, who was just over 50 when he embarked on the King’s Theatre project.
He was born in Aberlour in Banffshire and later married Jane Taylor Beck, with whom he had seven children.
Next on the list is the theatre’s head architect, John Daniel Swanston, who was born in Dundee in 1868 and educated at Dollar Academy.
He opened his own architectural practice in Kirkcaldy in 1895 and specialised in theatre, cinema, and public housework.
He died in 1956 in Newton Mearns, in the south of Glasgow, at the home of his daughter, Dr Muriel Swanston.
Another architect named in the letter was James Davidson, who was born in Airdrie in 1848, the son of a weaver.
He was educated at Airdrie Academy and initially trained as a joiner but later became an architect.
The third architect was John Tulloch, who was born in January 1847 in East Lothian.
Draughtsman John Alexander Cameron, foreman plasterer George King, and foreman William Begg are also listed in the note, as well as plasterers John Hutchinson, Andrew S Law and William Hunter.
Extra details found by Findmypast about the men have been handed over by BBC Scotland to the theatre.
Curators will use extensive research to make a display in a new exhibition room in the theatre along with the bottle and note.
The King’s Theatre was constructed in 1905 at a cost of £50,000. The ongoing redevelopment commenced in 2018 and is projected to cost £40.7 million.
Two lifts are being fitted, and staircases are being widened at the category A-listed theatre, which is managed by Capital Theatres.
The auditorium is being redeveloped, a wall is being reinstated, there will be a new control room, an upgraded lighting system in the gantry, and a new ventilation system.
Abby Pendlebury, the theatre’s heritage engagement manager, said it was “incredibly thrilling” to find the bottle.
“I think it is fascinating we have a list of plasterers and draftsmen,” she said.
“It’s showing how personal this was to so many people and how there is a real human connection going back. It’s just really beautiful to see.”
She described it as “an astonishing stroke of luck,” marvelling at how wonderfully it had been preserved, calling the whole thing “incredibly impressive.”
“The most magical thing to me is everyone who has ever sat in that auditorium and looked at the stage has seen it and so it’s just been this gem that’s been hiding this whole time,” she said.
“I’m amazed we found it, and I am amazed at the list of names.”
Jen Baldwin, a research specialist at Findmypast, said: “Unexpected finds like these can offer a fascinating window into the past.
“This was a collection of highly skilled artisans from a range of backgrounds, who came together to create one of Edinburgh’s most well-loved, iconic creative spaces which has entertained audiences for over a century.”
The theatre is due to reopen in spring 2026.
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