Corsewall Lighthouse: Secret 132 year old message in a bottle found wall

The 8in (20cm) bottle was found by Ross Russell, a Northern Lighthouse Board mechanical engineer, during an inspection.

He spotted it after removing panels in a cupboard but it was well out of arm’s reach. The team retrieved it using a contraption made from a rope and a broom handle.

But they waited until retained lighthouse keeper, Barry Miller, arrived before they opened it.

“My goodness am I grateful for them doing that,” he said.

The bottle has an unusual convex base, meaning it cannot stand upright, and it is made of coarse glass, full of tiny air bubbles.

It is thought it would have once contained oil.

The bottle stopper was cork, which had expanded over time and stuck to the glass, while the wire which held it in place had rusted away.