City Rail Link (CRL) contractors have uncovered a new trove of archaeological objects at the Britomart excavation site.
The artefacts include:
- A 91mm-high clear rectangular perfume bottle, embossed with the name Rimmel, dated from the mid to late 19th century. The House of Rimmel is a French perfumery based in London. The company was established in 1834, specialising in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, bath oils and pomades. Rimmel is still in business today.
- A decorative 186mm-high aqua-coloured salad oil bottle, dated 1845 to 1910. An identical bottle was recently recovered in Christchurch with an intact label showing ‘George Whybrow’s Sublime Salad Oil’.
- A 174mm-high complete aqua green cylindrical condiment/food bottle with the foil still intact around the neck, dated mid to late 19th century.
- A rectangular 177mm-high cobalt blue medicinal bottle with the side panels embossed with ‘The Mexican’ and ‘Hair Renewer’ and the base with a cross. Mexican Hair Renewer was advertised from as early as 1873 until 1920. The manufacturing technique of the bottle dates it to the late 19th century.
- A 450mm-high wooden stake, mostly likely made from an Australian hardwood and used for boxing or similar. CRL archaeologists believe it was likely used in the construction of the CPO, which was completed in 1912.
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