A glimpse at what's been uncovered as the building is opened up for works…
During preparatory investigations, an intriguing group of Victorian toys & dress accessories were found under floorboards on the first floor. The finds include some flat lead soldiers, a doll-size fork and spoon and tiny pearl button and safety pin.
The room in the East Wing where they were found would have been the living quarters of George Birkbeck Hill and family whilst he was headteacher of Bruce Castle School from the 1860s onwards. We can imagine his young children playing with the lead soldiers – being flat they were just right for poking down between the cracks of the floorboards. And there they have remained until their discovery 160 years later!
Toys and trinkets discovered beneath the floorboards
Under the ground floor in the East Wing, we’ve spotted an unusual looking tunnel. Not long after this was found, a large vent in the ceiling of the East Wing was uncovered. So what are these strange discoveries? When were they built and what were they used for?
Where does this tunnel lead?
What might this have been used for?
We think they might have something to do with the ventilation system that Rowland Hill introduced to the building when he was headmaster of Bruce Castle School from 1827-1839.
In the north view of the building below, circled in red, you can see two odd-looking and large ventilation shafts emerging from the roofline - perhaps one of them is the very same that we have recently uncovered during our building works! Rowland Hill was a keen experimenter and one of his interests was in getting fresh air circulating in the building for the young pupils in his care at Bruce Castle School. It's wonderful to be able to get a glimpse of one such experiment, previously hidden for so many years behind ceilings and floorboards...
Bruce Castle in 1870 - the ventilation shafts are circled in red
Throughout the MEND restoration project, we've uncovered signs of the incredible skill that has gone into building and maintaining this beautiful building over the centuries. The images below are just a couple of examples.
Old joinery on the East Wing floorboards
Roman numerals etched into the floor beams well over 100 years ago
Thanks to specialists from Hirst Conservation, we have been able to uncover layers of paint that have built up over hundreds of years, showing how the East Wing has been decorated by successive owners of Bruce Castle. Which colour is your favourite?
Layers of paintwork from the 1700s to the present day