This 1940 invitation to a kitchen tea was found inside a wall of a house in Longburn Rongotea Rd. Photo / Judith Lacy
This 1940 invitation to a kitchen tea was found inside a wall of a house in Longburn Rongotea Rd. Photo / Judith Lacy
Come on Eileen, we have so many questions. Our main one is, why was a letter written to you more than 80 years ago found inside a tobacco tin, inside a wall of a house near Palmerston North.
Hayley Bateman found the letter in the back wall of her housein Longburn Rongotea Rd last month.
Her mid-1930s house is undergoing extensive renovations. The letter was found folded up in a tin of The Greys silk cut Virginia tobacco with a small quantity of tobacco inside.
The kichen tea was "strictly invitational". Photo / Judith Lacy
The letter is dated January 19, 1940, and is from Peggy Sieverts.
"Am giving a kitchen tea for Eric and Floss at the Forresters [sic] Hall Main Street on Wed 31st Jan at 8pm and would be very pleased if you and your fiance can come along. Would be glad if you could let me know by the 27th as am keeping the party strictly invitational and doing much of the catering myself."
Part of the shopping list written on the back of the letter. Photo / Judith Lacy
Intriguingly, the word "know" is written in pencil, while on the back in different handwriting and in green pen is a shopping list. It's harder to decipher than the letter, but it does include 2lb of butter and one tin of tobacco, the same brand the letter was found in.
The original front entrance of the Longburn Rongotea Rd house. Photo / Judith Lacy
Bateman has owned the house since 2018, buying it off an aunt and uncle. They owned the house for nine years. Bateman has found property records going back to only the 1970s, perhaps because of many changes of councils.
She has a whole box of tobacco tins found in the back wall during renovations. She estimates there are about 100, and says as more and more were found the excitement wore off. Some of the tins are rusted while others are in perfect condition.
Medicine bottles and a pair of flimsy reading glasses have also been found in the wall, plus a set of scales under the floor.
She is not sure what the space at the back of the house was originally used for. It was attached to a porch and she speculates it could have been an outhouse or an addition.
Because most of the items were found sitting on dwangs among the framing, it's likely they have fallen or been thrown down the wall cavity from the roof space.
Bateman wonders if Eileen was hiding the letter from her fiance or her fiance thought it would be a good idea to put the letter in the wall. No envelope was found with the letter and she doesn't know Eileen's last name.
"It's just not an easy story because there's too many unknown things."
• Hayley Bateman can be contacted at hayleyannbateman@gmail.com.
