Portrait of a Lady

It's been a productive yet un-photogenic day today, so I thought I'd share some finds from under the floorboards of my parents' church! Here is the lady of the title - an Edwardian, I guess. She was under the basement floorboards, which have been lifted as the basement is being made into wheelchair friendly community rooms. Don't worry, Mel - no damage to the historic fabric of the church!

She's on a calling card case - could it have been her own? Or was this just a pretty decoration?

The inside was pretty too, although the whole thing has corroded after years under the boards.Nearby was a record of pew fees, which were paid by the more wealthy members of the congregation to help with the upkeep of the building. There were plenty of free pews, too, fortunately.In my parents' scullery are four earthenware bottles or jars which also came from other areas of the church basement.The congregation and the workmen have decided that these bottles probably held printers' ink. These two jars are self-explanitory! The Dundee Marmalade remains famous, and the Craigmillar Dairy is not far from the church.Isn't it amazing what can be hiding under our feet?