Treasure trove found in Fremantle Town Hall

A virtual time capsule of items from a century ago has be found scattered beneath the floorboards of the heritage building.

The treasure trove includes show programs, show tickets, offcuts from projector reels, cigarette packets, bottle tops, chocolate wrappers and tram tickets from the early 1900s.

The workers, specialised in heritage restorations, immediately handed the collection over to the team at the Local History Centre who set about researching and preserving the items.

“It’s pretty much people just stuffing their rubbish down the back of seats,” history librarian Stewart Alger said.

“It’s obviously filtered down into some cavities underneath,” Mr Alger said.

Fremantle Deputy Mayor Jenny Archibald said it was a fabulous find.

"The discovery of the treasures beneath the floor of the balcony is a wonderful time capsule - historic relics such as those retrieved are seldom kept and having a snapshot from some 100 years ago is rare,” Cr Archibald said.

Work on the Town Hall balcony began in mid-August and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

The balcony’s original style and heritage will be considered in the works, which include the re-adjusting of floor levels, new carpet, a higher and stronger balustrade, refurbished seats, accessible areas and provisions for future AV equipment.

"The Fremantle Town Hall is an iconic heritage building and has long been significant for our community.

“To ensure its viability into the future, our Council has committed to a comprehensive program of works over the next few years to deliver a restored and highly functional venue with optimum seating capacity and current technology facilities.

“It will be exciting to see a large range of concerts and performances continue to be held here into the future," Cr Archibald said.

Some of the century-old items will be put on display later this month, in the Local History Centre, located on the ground floor of the Walyalup Civic Centre.