A woman renovating her Victorian home in Wales got the surprise of a lifetime when she stumbled upon artifacts tucked away inside the walls that predate even the Titanic. Sian, who has been documenting her renovation journey online, shared the discovery with her TikTok followers, and the response was nothing short of overwhelming. The house itself dates back to the 1880s, and Sian had already anticipated that restoring it would mean uncovering layers of history. What she did not expect, however, was just how literal that would turn out to be.
Posting a video to introduce her project, Sian welcomed her audience with enthusiasm: “Welcome – the renovation of my Welsh Victorian house from the 1880s is starting. From thick stone walls and original fireplaces to stories hidden beneath layers of plaster – this is a journey of reviving history, not erasing it.” It was beneath the staircase that she made her first major find, describing it as a true little time capsule hidden inside the structure. Old, crumpled newspaper pages had been stuffed into the walls, a common practice at the time used as a crude but effective form of insulation to block drafts. Sian noted she had no idea this was how people used to insulate their homes, and she asked her followers the same question.
When she carefully unfolded the fragile paper, the date printed on it stopped her in her tracks. The newspaper had been published on March 2, 1901, less than two months after the death of Queen Victoria and a full 11 years before the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic. “125-year-old cobwebs – lovely,” Sian quipped in her video, capturing the eerie yet magical feeling of the moment. The find sparked a wave of enthusiasm from her followers, many of whom shared their own renovation discoveries in the comments. One user wrote: “I love these things. I found hundreds – really, literally hundreds – of cigarette butts under one of my floorboards. I assume some kid didn’t want their parents to know they were smoking.” Another chimed in: “This is so cool! Things like this would distract me so much that I wouldn’t even continue with the renovation.”
@cartrefcalon I accidentally found a time capsule under my old Victorian home stairs during renovations 😳📰 I had no idea they used that for insulation – did you? 😲 #oldhome #renovation #timecapsule #treasure #welshhistory ♬ Meg Thee Stallion with a Touch Of Disco – touchoffunk
But the newspaper was only the beginning. While stripping away layers of cement plaster from the walls, Sian made a second and even more unexpected discovery. “While removing the cement plaster, I found an engagement ring wedged in the wall,” she revealed to her followers. She noted that the ring did not belong to any recent previous owners, since those owners had never actually lived in the house during the works and never completed the renovation themselves. Sian speculated that the ring may have belonged to a couple who lived there many decades ago, and with more than 15 years having passed, she felt tracking anyone down would be nearly impossible.
She had the ring assessed by a jeweler and came back with all the details. “It’s a 9-karat gold ring with a diamond in the center,” she confirmed. “The diamond is 0.2 carats and it’s what’s known as an ‘illusion setting,’ where the mount is designed to make the stone appear larger than it actually is.” The ring dates back to the 1990s, making it far more recent than the newspaper but no less intriguing given the mystery surrounding it. Rather than selling it, Sian decided to keep it as part of the home’s story: “I won’t sell it – it now feels like part of this house’s story. I’m keeping it as a little house treasure, but I’d love to hear ideas on how to display it nicely.”
Victorian homes in the United Kingdom, particularly those built between the 1840s and 1900s, are known for their distinctive architectural features including bay windows, ornate cornices, high ceilings, and original fireplaces. Wales, where Sian’s home is located, has a rich stock of Victorian-era housing that reflects the industrial and mining boom of the 19th century. Before modern insulation materials became widely available, builders and homeowners improvised with whatever was on hand, including straw, animal hair, sawdust, and yes, crumpled newspapers. The 9-karat gold illusion setting ring that Sian found is a style that became popular in the mid-20th century and saw a resurgence in the 1990s, designed to give the appearance of a larger stone without the higher cost. Queen Victoria, whose death in January 1901 would have still been fresh news at the time the newspaper was printed, reigned for over 63 years and gave her name to an entire era defined by rapid industrialization, social reform, and a very particular aesthetic in architecture and design.
If you have ever stumbled upon something unexpected hidden inside an old home or building, share your story in the comments.
