Knife from 1800s discovered under ground at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

A large turf knife thought to date back to the 1800s has been discovered under the ground at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.

The 49cm blade, which would have been used by the garden’s horticulture team, was discovered during work to install a new heating system at the garden’s Inverleith hot houses.

An intact beer bottle, a solitary sandal, a perfectly preserved butter dish and a medicine bottle were also uncovered. 

But most poignant of all the finds were the remains of two large nails likely to have fallen from a huge wooden barrel which held the garden’s Sabal palm in the 1800s, until it was finally planted around 1893. 

At more than 200 years old, the Sabal palm was the oldest living specimen at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.  

As a young plant, it had lived in the Garden’s third site near Leith Walk, before being transported to the Tropical Palm House in the 1820s. 

Experts say they also found a bottle from the 1800s they believe held medicine used for the treatment of baldness and constipation.

A large rusted bolt, found underneath the floor of the Tropical Palm House, looks to have been part of the original fittings when the building was constructed in 1834.

Various shards of pottery from plant pots were also discovered.

‘When we began our vital redevelopment project, we had no idea that we would start to uncover so many intriguing items from our past,’ said Fiona Inches, Glasshouse Manager.

‘Some of the finds were really curious, such as nails from the wooden pot that once held our Sabal palm, but other discoveries show how some things don’t change very much.

‘Although the turf knife probably dates from the late 1800s (early 1900’s), modern horticulturists still use very similar tools today.

‘Of course, some things do evolve and one of the most significant finds was the brick work where the old coal-fired heating system was located.

‘The new heating systems that we will be installing include ground source heat pumps, helping to ensure that our Glasshouses and the rest of our infrastructure will be much more fuel efficient, reducing our carbon footprint for the future.’

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