Discovered by historian Mike Hume and dated October 1906 – just two months before the Theatre Royal opened – the hidden message includes a list of the names of people involved in the construction of the historic building.
Mike HumeThe crack in the proscenium arch where Mike Hume found the message in a bottle.
In December 2024, Hume, who is also a historian and theatre photographer, was given a special tour behind the scenes of the Theatre Royal as it underwent restoration ahead of its reopening in spring 2026.
The work will be extensive, according to Fiona Gibson, CEO of Capital Theatres, who described the restoration project as “not just a refurbishment” but rather “a unique transformation of one of Edinburgh’s most beloved cultural attractions”.
While Hume was inspecting the theatre, he noticed a crack behind the decorative plaster crown above the stage. Out of pure curiosity, he decided to stick his hand in there – and made the discovery of a lifetime.
“It really was like a scene from Indiana Jones,” Hume told the BBC. “It was a bit damp, all this crumbling plaster and so on – and then my hand came across this hard object and I pulled out this glass bottle.”
Sourse: www.allthatsinteresting.com
