About this objectWorkmen replacing flooring in Hitchin Town Hall's Mountford Hall uncovered this empty packet of Woodbine Cigarettes when lifting flooring panels on 10 February 2022.
Woodbine cigarettes were launched in 1888 by W.D. & H.O. Wills, a British tobacco importer and cigarette manufacturer formed in Bristol, England. Noted for its strong unfiltered cigarettes, the brand was cheap and popular in the early 20th century, especially with soldiers during World War I and World War II. They also happened to be a favourite of John Lennon’s! This intricate nineteenth century packet design remained current until the mid 1960s.
This pack of cigarettes might have been discarded or placed deliberatley under the floor by a contractor who last installed flooring in the 1950s. Lying underneath the floor panels for around 70 years has meant that the colours of the packet are still beautifully preserved.
There are some signs that the packet was not all alone underneath the flooring, as it has been nibbled by a rodent.
The discovery of this cigarette packet inspired staff at North Hertfordshire Museum to leave their own piece of the present to be discovered by our successors in decades to come. Staff created a time capsule and included snippets of life from February 2022. This included things like posters advertising the museums exhibitions and a museum notice asking people to wear a facemask during the Covid-19 pandemic.
