Dated to October 1906 — just two months before King's Theatre opened its doors — this hidden message found by historian Mike Hume lists the names of the people who built this historic venue.
Mike HumeMike Hume (left) and John Robb with the message in a bottle found inside Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre.
In the midst of a $51-million restoration project at King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland, one of its donors paid a visit for a private tour of its lesser-explored areas. While standing on scaffolding 40 feet above the stage, he stuck his hand in a gap behind a decorative plaster crown adorning the proscenium arch and found a sealed bottle with a message inside.
Now, experts have extracted the note and discovered that it lists the names of the people who built the theatre back in 1906.
Mike Hume, the 48-year-old donor and historian who finally brought this message to light after 119 years, described the find as “astonishing.”
“Like A Scene Out Of Indiana Jones“: Finding The Message In A Bottle At King’s Theatre
Mike HumeThe crevice 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 behind-the-scenes tour of King’s Theatre as it was being restored in preparation for a spring 2026 reopening.
The work is extensive, according to a statement by Fiona Gibson, chief executive of Capital Theatres, describing the restoration project as “not just a refurbishment” but rather “a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of one of Edinburgh’s most beloved cultural landmarks.”
As Hume was touring the theatre, he noticed a gap behind a decorative plaster crown situated on the proscenium arch above the stage. Out of pure curiosity, he decided to stick his hand in — and made the discovery of a lifetime.
“It really was like as scene out of Indiana Jones,” Hume told the BBC. “It was a bit damp and there was all this crumbly plaster and stuff in there — then my hand stumbled upon this solid object and I pulled out this glass bottle.”
Capital TheatresCapital Theatres’ Abby Pendlebury with the bottle found hidden at King’s Theatre.
The top of the bottle had been dipped in plaster to keep it sealed, but Hume was able to see that there was a note inside. The plaster made it all but impossible to open the bottle without damaging it, however. So, Hume took a photo of the note on his phone and could just barely make out the name “W S Cruikshank” written on it.
Cruikshank was the contractor who originally built the theatre, which meant the note had likely been deposited in the gap at the time of the theatre’s construction in 1906.
“This is the sort of discovery everyone hopes for on a project of this scale,” Hume said in a statement from Capital Theatres.
“It’s astonishing to think that this time capsule of history has been hidden in plain sight for nearly 120 years, silently bearing witness to the countless famous faces — and Edinburgh community performers — that have graced the stage of the King’s.”
Capital TheatresGlass technician Laura Clair sawing away at the plaster seal on the bottle containing the message.
Unable to open the bottle, theatre bosses sent it off to experts at the Scottish Conservation Studio so that the letter could be safely removed. Now, a full three months later, glass technician Laura Clair has opened the bottle and Capital Theatres has revealed the content of the message inside.
A Message From The People Who Built King’s Theatre In 1906
Capital TheatresThe opened bottle, thanks to Laura Clair and the Scottish Conservation Studio.
Once the note was out of its glass container, experts had to use special techniques and chemicals to unstick the paper from itself. Thankfully, the process worked, and they were able to see the message’s content.
What they found was a list of names, starting with William Stewart Cruickshank, the builder behind the King’s Theatre. The note was dated October 1906 — just two months before the theatre opened to the public.
Other names included architects, draftsman plasterers, and journeymen who aided in the theatre’s construction.
Capital TheatresThe note found inside the bottle, featuring the names of those who built the theatre.
Two of the architects listed were John Daniel Swanston and James Davidson, both based out of Kirkcaldy, as well as London-based architect John Tulloch. Also named were draftsman John Alexander Cameron, foreman plasterer George King and his son/apprentice George King Jr., foreman William Begg, and plasterers John Hutchinson, Andrew S. Law, and William Hunter.
“The redevelopment of the King’s has been a thrilling journey from the very start,” Gibson said. “Finding a note from 1906, the very year the theatre first opened its doors, is apt as we prepare for the next chapter in the theatre’s rich history.”
Mike HumeThe plaster crown which hid the message for nearly 120 years.
Members of John D. Swanston’s family have also donated some of his artifacts to The People’s Archive, including a set of tools, a catalog of images of plaster molds used at the King’s, and a photograph of Swanston in uniform during World War I.
These items and the letter, along with others, are set to be displayed in a special exhibit room at the theatre once it reopens next spring.
“We knew we had something really special when the bottle was uncovered. For 119 years, the bottle was waiting behind the crown — something that every audience member has seen since the theatre first opened in 1906,” said Abby Pendlebury, heritage engagement manager at Capital Theatres.
“The significance of the message is that the list of names ranges from managers and directors to draughtsman, architects, and plasterers – people working on the site who were so proud of what they had built. There is pride and ownership in this note.”
After reading about this astounding discovery at King’s Theatre, explore Edinburgh Castle, the Scottish fortress that has stood since the Middle Ages. Then, read about Scotland’s infamous Glencoe Massacre and other deadly family feuds throughout history.
