90s time capsule sealed by Diana, Princess of Wales, revealed

Its contents, provided by two young people who won a national competition, includes a pocket television, a solar-powered calculator, a photo of Diana, Princess of Wales, and a Kylie Minogue CD.

The late Princess of Wales was part of a ceremony in March 1991 at GOSH to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the Variety Club Building, which she opened later in 1994. As part of this, she sealed a time capsule within GOSH’s main entrance.

The ceremony mirrored one in 1872 where the then Princess of Wales, Alexandra, laid the foundation stone of the older hospital building and sealed a time capsule. That time capsule has never been found.

Diana became the President of GOSH in 1989 and regularly visited the specialist children's hospital, bringing smiles to the faces of patients, their families and staff.

The capsule was opened earlier this year as GOSH started its exciting new project to develop a new Children’s Cancer Centre.

Replacing outdated facilities on Great Ormond Street itself, the centre will be a national resource for the treatment of childhood cancers, with a focus on research and innovation.

Developed with families and clinicians, the centre’s design will make it easier for clinical teams to develop kinder, more effective treatments, all delivered in a child-focused environment where children can play, learn and be with their family while at hospital.

The contents of the time capsule were decided through a competition whose judges included BBC’s Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan, actor Bonnie Langford and Dr Neil Chalmers, then Director at the Natural History Museum. Children were asked to suggest eight items that represented life in the 1990s. Although damaged by moisture, they included a pocket television, a solar-powered calculator, a collection of British coins, some tree seeds in a bottle, a snowflake hologram, a sheet of recycled paper, a European passport and a Kylie Minogue CD.

Jason Dawson, Executive Director of Space and Place and Senior Responsible Owner for the Children's Cancer Centre, explained why the time capsule was opened now. He said that we wanted to take “the hopes and inspirations of 1991".

He said: "It was really quite moving, almost like connecting with memories of things that have been planted by a generation gone by".

Staff at the hospital, either born in 1991 or already working at the hospital in 1991, helped to remove the time capsule.

One team member who helped retrieve the capsule and will work in the new cancer centre was Rochana Redkar, Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Haematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.  

She said: “It was so lovely to be part of this event. I had just joined GOSH six months before and I was so excited to be involved in the removal of the time capsule, which was buried the year I was born!”

Janet Holmes, Senior Health Play Specialist, who was working at GOSH in 1991 shared her favourite item from the time capsule.

She said: “It brought back so many memories seeing the pocket TV in there – I had bought one for my husband back in the day, for when he had a break whilst driving his coach around the country. They were very expensive then!"

John Sisk and Son (Sisk) who are the main contractor for the Children's Cancer Centre carefully managed the removal of the time capsule.