Fragments of the Evening Standard printed 128 years ago have offered an intriguing glimpse into the reading habits of the 19th century royals — and possibly Queen Victoria herself.
The clippings, still in remarkably good condition, were found under floorboards during renovations of the monarch’s private apartments at Buckingham Palace.
The paper is dated Wednesday November 7 1889 — when Victoria was Empress of India and two years after her golden jubilee.
As now, the Standard was providing the latest details on events in the capital, news from the markets, as well as book reviews.
A copy of the Evening Standard from 1889 found under floorboards at Buckingham PalaceBuckingham PalaceOn this particular day it was appraising the Letters of the Fourth Earl of Chesterfield to his Godson and Successor by the Earl of Carnarvon.
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According to the writer: “They are 235 in number, are full of wit and wisdom, humour and playfulness, and the subject-matter is very varied. I can honestly say that I began my task with little interest, perhaps with prejudice; I have ended it with strong sympathy and appreciation.”
Landmark moments in 1889
The Savoy Hotel opens in London.
Charlie Chaplin is born in Walworth and Adolf Hitler in Austria.
The free Woolwich Ferry makes its first journey across the Thames.
Jerome K Jerome publishes his novel Three Men In A Boat.
The Eiffel Tower officially opens in Paris, and remained the tallest man-made structure for 41 years.
The Moulin Rouge cabaret club opens in Paris.
The Coca-Cola Company is originally incorporated as the Pemberton Medicine Company in Atlanta, Georgia.
Writers Robert Browning and Wilkie Collins die.
George Eastman begins selling his Kodak flexible rolled film.
Vincent van Gogh paints The Starry Night from his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
The Royal Mail’s Mount Pleasant Sorting Office — which became one of the largest in the world — opens.
Old cigarette packets were also found under the floorboards.
A Palace spokesman said of the old Standard: “It’s intriguing to consider who might have read these pages.”
The Evening Standard is still delivered to the Palace and is available for the Royal Household at the staff entrance and in waiting rooms for visitors.