By Lauren Beavis
A letter written to a care home by Lord Mountbatten more than 50 years ago has been found in a time capsule buried underneath its former site.
Demolition workers discovered the lead time capsule underneath a foundation brick at the site of the former Edwina Mountbatten Care Home in Romsey, Hampshire, in February.
The workers who found the 1969 capsule said its contents revealed the old care home’s links with the Mountbatten family and the royal family.
As well as the letter from Earl Mountbatten, two copies of front page stories from a local newspaper (The Romsey Advertiser) in 1969, regarding the Mountbattens, Prince Charles and Princess Anne visiting the care home were also discovered in the ‘carefully crafted’ time capsule.
Churchill Living, who are behind the construction of a new retirement living development at the site, said they were on the search for the relevant experts who could “study the items further.”
Demolition operative Dave Cairns, from HWM Group, was the first to open the capsule and discover the contents.
He said: “I was taking extra care around the foundation brick making sure not to damage it.
“When it came away I could see there was something hidden in behind it, so I stopped everything and peeled open the lead capsule to see what was in there.
“It was a special moment.
“I’ve done this job for 30 years and it’s the first time capsule I’ve ever discovered!
“Of course I handed it straight over to be looked after properly, and I hope people will be interested to see what we found.”
Earl Mountbatten of Burma was second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II.
He served in two world wars, was involved in the partition of India and the Suez Crisis and was killed when the IRA detonated a bomb on his family’s fishing boat in north west Ireland in 1979.
The unearthed capsule, discovered under the foundation stone of the former Edwina Mountbatten care home, also contained a metal reproduction cypher of Lord Mountbatten – which the letter states “was the custom in India for the Viceroy to provide.”
Two sets of coins were also inside – including the first ever decimal coinage from late 1960s – as well as detailed information about the care home’s construction with names of all the people who worked on it.
Kevin Sharp, from Churchill Living, added: “We were astonished to find such a carefully crafted time capsule with contents that give us so much detail about the old care home’s links with the Mountbatten family and the royal family.
“It was also great to be able to read about all the local people involved in the original construction, from the main contractor Jenkins & Sons right down to the individual carpenters, bricklayers and plumbers who worked on it.
“It’s a really fascinating piece of history which we would never have known about if it weren’t for the care taken by the HWM demolition team in removing the original foundation stone.”
Churchill have said the team are ‘keen to hear from anyone who may be interested in studying the contents further’.
