Making a discovery: a hidden compartment
We have been living in our "Rembrandt House" – a historic monument dating back to 1750 – for over two years. During this time, I believe I have thoroughly examined every aspect of the house, both out of necessity for maintenance checks and a natural curiosity about its construction.
However, it seems I overlooked one corner.
Just last week, while tracing the path of the electrical wiring, I stumbled upon a genuinely thrilling discovery.
I found something secret... 😃
I was looking at a big timber beam above the staircase on the second floor, when suddenly, a flash of curiosity hit me...
What's behind that timber beam I thought...
When I got closer to insprect what was behind the timber beam, I experienced a similar thrill to the one I felt as a child when my grandfather set me on a treasure hunt in his garden. I remember the joy of discovering that treasure: a tin can filled with a few Belgian Francs (coins).
Initially, there didn't seem to be much to see...
However, when I pressed my head closer against the wall, I noticed a wooden turn button catch...
I didn't expect to find a turn button catch in this particular spot.. so, driven by curiosity, I decided to turn it... that's when this wooden box came out... a secret compartment!!! 😀
Leaving a gaping hole where it belonged...
I got even more excited when I realised that the lid was removable... I opened it, only to find, despite my high hopes, that it was empty.
But that did not kill the excitement of making this discovery.
Upon further examination of both the lid and the box, I was surprised to find that they were actually well made, crafted with considerable skill and attention to detail.
The lid was designed with strips of wood that allowed it to fit snugly on top of the box.
The big question now is: who crafted this box? Was it the work of one of the builders during the house's refurbishment in the early 1980s? Or perhaps a creation by one of the previous owners or tenants?
It is not uncommon to find secret hiding spots in old houses, but what what was its intended purpose of this box? What secrets was it designed to keep?
I don't have any secret stuff I'd like to hide, but I believed that this hidden compartment should serve its intended purpose. Therefore, I placed an item inside it – an object that links this secret space to the historical context of the house.
I chose a rusty piece of iron which I found last year while refurbishing the fence. It had been buried for an unknown number of years. I am not sure what it actually is. Whether it's a bent nail or a part from a hinge? But I do know it has a significant historical value.
Given its age, I suspect it might have been from the era when young Rembrandt himself was roaming around in this area. Perhaps, it could even be a token he intentionally left behind for future generations.
So, in honouring this thought, I placed this nail in the box, leaving not just a hidden space for future residents to discover ,but also an intriguing object within it.
With that, history has come full circle, and will in the future continuously do so in new and unforeseen ways.