I found a 1940s treasure trove under the floorboards of my new flat
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Lori Carnochan
BBC Scotland
BBC
Kirsty Geddes bought her flat in 2025 and has been surprised by the number of historical artefacts hidden beneath the floorboards
Since Kirsty Geddes bought her flat in Dumfries last August, she has been busy renovating her new home.
With the help of her local joiner, Jordan Walters, she has gutted the top floor apartment in Great King Street - and uncovered a 1940s treasure trove under the floorboards.
Among their finds is a fire extinguisher dating from 1942, newspapers from the week after D-Day, and a tin of "whole chicken in jelly" - fortunately empty.
Now Kirsty, a marketing and communications manager, hopes to use her discoveries to build a picture of the history of the building.
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Other artefacts include an empty bottle of Armstrong and Dickie stout, likely produced at the former aerated waterworks site at the nearby Whitesands.
Rodent repellent, cigarette packets, and piles of very old newspapers are also among their finds.
A copy of the Daily Mail dated 12 June 1944 - days after D-Day - reports that "battle rages around empty Caen" and "trap closing on Nazis".
From the Sunday Mail,1 October 1944, the headline reads: "Allies are poised for Autumn assault on Germany".
Meanwhile, copies of the Dumfries and Galloway Standard from 16 December 1944 focus on Christmas advertisements and social events.
BBC news
BBC news
The Sunday Mail and the Daily Mirror exerts both depict war-time stories from 1944
The wartime fire extinguisher was manufactured in 1942 and is intact
A number of cigarette packs and games cards, household cleaners and an insect repellent, called 'flit powder', have also been found.
Geddes, who is a a designer by trade, said the variety of typography and design was fascinating.
''It's really exciting to know that there is a lot of history within the building," she said.
''The fire extinguisher was one of the first things that I found within the property and I was quite cautious when I saw it because it looks so far removed from a usual fire extinguisher.
''It's really beautiful to see the iteration of where fire extinguishers came from and where they are now."
Heritage Service, Dumfries and Galloway Council
Kirsty's flat is on Great King Street, off Queensberry Square
BBC news
This is how the building looks today
The 37-year-old also found the remnants of two envelopes and would like to establish who they were addressed to.
''I think they were actually destined for the recycling centre but I managed to pull them out before they got there," she said. "And there's the address of the property on there and there's a name.
''We think it's Mrs Latimer, but we're not 100% sure. There's also a magazine with the name 'Jone' on it, which could potentially be another clue,'' she said.
Kirsty is now planning to study the original, hand-drawn, title deeds for the building with the hope of matching up the name from the envelopes with a previous owner.
''If anybody has any information on who used to live here or what the building was used for, I'd love to hear from them,'' she said.
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