They may not be Tutankhamun’s riches, but a 49 cm long horticultural blade, an almost intact beer bottle (sadly empty) and a solitary sandal are just some of the intriguing artefacts unearthed during our landmark Edinburgh Biomes development project.
The first phase of the multi-faceted programme saw the removal of 800 plants from the historic Palm Houses in 2021, so that restoration work could begin. During the works, a number of intriguing items have been unearthed from in and around the Palm Houses, including the turf blade that would have been used by the Garden’s horticulture team and various shards of pottery from plant pots. A large rusted bolt, found underneath the floor of the Tropical Palm House, looks to have been part of the original fittings when the building was constructed in 1834.
Most poignant of all are the remains of two large nails. From their location, they are likely to have fallen from the huge wooden barrel which held the Garden’s Sabal palm in the 1800s, until it was finally planted around 1893. At over 200 years old, the Sabal palm was the oldest living specimen at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. As a young plant, it had lived in the Garden’s third site near Leith Walk, before being transported to the Tropical Palm House in the 1820s. In 2021, as the palm neared the end of its life and preparations were being made for restoration work to begin, horticulturists, scientists and artists ensured that the palm would live on through its progeny, preserved specimens and botanical illustrations.
Just outside the Garden, infrastructure works for the second stage of the Biomes project took place along Inverleith Place. The teams discovered remnants of two different shoes, a perfectly preserved butter dish lid and an iridescent blue glass bottle similar to those used in the mid-19th century as a restorative for baldness or constipation.
Find out more about the Edinburgh Biomes project
