'Message in a bottle' discovered in Southampton

A message in a bottle from 1935 containing a warning of troubled times to come has been uncovered by masons restoring damaged Portland stone at Southampton Guildhall.

The time capsule, made from what is thought to be a lemonade bottle, contains a message written in pencil on the back of a cigarette packet which reads:

Further research has revealed that the mention of war in the message refers to the ongoing 'Abyssinia Crisis' at the time, with Mussolini rejecting a peace treaty offered by the League of Nations to end the conflict on the previous day.

The items has been passed to Southampton City Council’s Arts & Heritage service for restoration and further analysis. They will then be held in the city's archives and exhibited at a later date.

The bottle will be replaced with a new capsule, containing the names of the masons who made the recent discovery alongside details of the current restoration project.