Guinness brand owner Diageo has revealed the contents of a Guinness time capsule that was sealed in celebration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Diageo GB boss Nuno Teles had the honour of opening the capsule, at the Guinness plant in Runcorn. It contained a half-pint bottle of Coronation Commemorative Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and a selection of Sovereign coins, as well as a copy of The Daily Express from 3 June 1953.
The capsule was sealed by Arthur Fawcett, who was boss of Guinness Exports at the time, with an inscription on the top which read: “To be opened by the Chairman of the company at the time of the next coronation in England after Queen Elizabeth II, June 2, 1953. Will all concerned please honour this request.
“In the event of the winding up of Guinness Exports Ltd this box to be handed over to the Chairman of the parent company.”
Alongside the big reveal, a new time capsule was also sealed to mark the Coronation of King Charles III. It contains a selection of items that showcase the Guinness brand in 2023, the Diageo site at Runcorn and its employees, as well as the wider Diageo business. The capsule includes a letter to the opener, a list and photos of the team at Runcorn as well as the site’s weekly production schedule, and a Guinness Nitrosurge device, which recently launched in Great Britain.
Guinness has a bit of a thing for time capsules; a separate box was laid down to mark the millennium in 2000 and is sealed on the site until 2050. As part of 150th anniversary celebrations in 2006, a package was opened for the first time revealing a tier of the original five-tier cake made for the 1956 centenary.
Employees must have been queuing up for a slice of that.
