THE team behind a new hotel development in Belfast have made a startling discovery during the initial ground work at the city centre site.
A time capsule, sealed within the foundation stone of the former Presbyterian War Memorial Hostel, has offered a snapshot of life in the city a century ago.
The sealed lead box was found by the Ringland Group during demolition work to pave the way for a 63-bedroom expansion behind The Flint Hotel on Howard Street.
The box was uncovered during the start of demolition work on May 23 2023.
Peter Ringland, who runs the hospitality company with his brother Ben, said when the team opened the box, they discovered a remarkable coincidence.
The four perfectly preserved newspapers inside all bore the date May 23 1923, 100 years to the day from the start of demolition work for their own project.
The lead box had been hidden in a specially created space under the foundation stone, installed during the start of construction work for the Presbyterian War Memorial Hostel in 1923.
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“We were taking the stone out to preserve it and install it in the new building when we discovered there was a box wedged in at the bottom,” said Peter.
“It was completely sealed and everything inside was perfectly preserved.”
Alongside the four newspapers, the box also contained the original architectural plans for the building, some coins, documents related to the hostel project and a letter from the man responsible for creating the time capsule, the Reverend Andrew Frederick (AF) Moody.
“It was a really exciting find and I think it gave everyone on site a real morale boost,” said Peter.
“They certainly knew what they were doing. The box was handmade and wedged in with timber packers into the bottom of the inscription stone in a cutting, which was the exact size of the lead capsule.
“It was very intentional and a lot of craftsmanship went into it.
“Finding it exactly 100 years later to the day felt almost like a joke, until we realised it wasn’t.”
The developer said the company plans to reinstall the foundation in the redeveloped venue, with consideration being given to framing some of the documents and putting them on public display.
Another idea being considered is to put some of artifacts back into the time capsule, along with some material from 2023, and putting it back in the ground.
“Hopefully it may be discovered in another 100 years,” said Peter.
The upper floors of the former Presbyterian War Memorial Hostel were redeveloped into accommodation by the Ringlands five years ago, with the 55-bed Flint Hotel opening in 2018.
The next phase of the project will create ‘Bella’, a new ground floor bar and restaurant, which will occupy the space of the former Flame restaurant and a pharmacy on Howard Street.
The hotel is also being expanded to 118 rooms, with the final stage involving a new rooftop bar.
