In 1991 a group of north-east youngsters stashed away mementos from their era beneath the floorboards of Craigievar Castle.
And yesterday a new generation of pupils from the very same school dug up the time capsule left behind at the 17th-century stronghold.
A copy of the Press and Journal – with a front page calling for urgent action to dual the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road – was among the keepsakes left behind 25 years ago, along with coins and photographs from the era and even a lump of coal.
Four senior pupils from Craigievar Primary were selected to take part in excavating the box in order to update it with items reflecting life in 2016.
They have been stashed away with those from a quarter century ago in a hiding place under the flooring of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) castle’s nursery.
And the joiner who removed and replaced the floorboards for yesterday’s ceremony gave up his own copy of the Press and Journal for future generations to enjoy.
One of the pupils also discovered his now neighbour had been one of the boys involved with the original project.
Ian Davidson, who is the NTS trust area surveyor, was present at both the 1991 time capsule event and yesterday’s ceremony.
Yesterday senior property assistant at Craigievar Castle, John Lemon, said: “We unearthed some old coins including an old 5p. There were lots of pictures that had been put in by the children from 25 years ago.
“There were letters from the children including one from the next door neighbour of one of the boys who was there.
“It looks as though every child at the school put something in, I think there were 30-odd.
“One little boy who obviously was thinking about the future put a piece of coal in. There was the top of a Pot Noodle cap and a Diet Coke can which was a completely different style and an old 1d coin, and various other bits and pieces.
“There was a copy of the picture taken 25 years ago. All the people present today signed the lid for when it gets opened next time. The children were really excited.
“They put in some things like permission slips and work they have been doing, things that felt very relevant to today. The box was quite full.”
Due to the sheer number of letters written by pupils from 1991, yesterday’s group did not manage to get through them all.”
The castle was completed in the 1600s and is remoured to have inspired the Walt Disney’s fairytale castles. It is the historic home of the Forbes-Sempill family.
