Staff and volunteers at Charlton House in London have made an extraordinary discovery, in the cellar of the historic building.
Charlton House, part of the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, has 'rediscovered' historical records and leather bound documents relating to the local area, and dating back more than 150 years.
Hidden deep in the basement of Charlton House, the vault containing the records has been locked since before the building was handed over to the Trust 8 years ago. Amongst the items discovered inside is the First World War Memorial Book for the Borough, containing the names of local men who served during the 1914-1918 war and a 100 year old log book for the local church – St Lukes, which details all services and is annotated with significant events such as the Silvertown Explosion.
Tracy Stringfellow, Chief Executive of Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust explained: “We don’t know exactly how long it is since the vault was last opened, but the documents inside are very exciting and likely to be of significant interest to local historians and genealogists”
The Trust plans to display the discoveries at their forthcoming Great War exhibition, which takes place at the Greenwich Heritage Centre in February.
The documents and books will now be examined by preservation experts to ensure that their condition does not deteriorate.
