Buckingham Palace works uncover trove of everyday items dating back to 1800s

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Buckingham Palace works uncover trove of everyday items dating back to 1800sImage source, PA MediaImage caption, A coil of vulcanised indian rubber cabling, which posed the greatest risk of fire to the building (bottom left), was among the items discovered ByRuth ComerfordPublished1 hour agoA pair of battered, hobnailed boots and a newspaper cutting dating back nearly 140 years are among a trove of everyday objects unearthed during restoration work at Buckingham Palace. The misplaced items are thought to belong to staff who worked at the palace decades ago, and were found by workers carrying out the £369m refurbishment. A ticket for a "whist drive" - a card game event hosted by the palace on 14 April 1949 - was found embedded in a lump of brick.

Several betting slips, a bottle of Schweppes Still Malvern English Spring Water, an empty Silk Cut cigarette carton and a newspaper article about the gang jailed for the 1963 Great Train Robbery were also found under floorboards. King and Queen will not live in Buckingham Palace after renovations Published26 JuneKing becomes first monarch to reveal tax bill as royal public funding to double to £100m Published26 JuneThe royal residence in London is undergoing a 10-year refurbishment plan - funded through a temporary increase in the Sovereign Grant, which pays for the official duties of the royals. It is due to be completed in March.

The Details

Ageing cables, lead pipes, wiring and boilers are set to be replaced - many for the first time in 60 years - following concerns about potential fire and water damage. Until now, many of the items have remained hidden within the building's infrastructure. Among the discoveries was a typed schedule detailing Queen Elizabeth II's plans to host a diplomatic reception in her Silver Jubilee year of 1977.

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, The pages from the 1966 Daily Express newspaper detailed the prison where the Great Train Robbers were being heldIt revealed the monarch would work the room in a "clockwise direction", and that aides were asked to encourage the 350 British guests to mingle with the diplomats at the annual gathering. "The British guests will be distributed throughout the State Rooms, except the Music Room and West Gallery, where they should be encouraged to talk to the Diplomats," the sheet reads. Blank Littlewoods Football Pool betting slips from 1957 and a scrap of West End theatre listings from The Standard newspaper in 1889 were also found, alongside fragments of Minton decorative ceramic tiles from a fireplace hearth, with the design dated to around the mid-1800s.

A pewter tankard, a wooden junction box and a faded box containing six Christmas cards were included in the haul. Examples of electrical wire covered with vulcanised Indian rubber cabling were found. It was replaced as priority when the restoration began as it posed the greatest risk of fire to the building.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.