Our own piece of heritage
With World Heritage Day just around the corner, we thought you’d like to hear about the time we found a mummified cat in the walls of our studio (yes, you read that correctly). We’ve put a photo of how the cat was found at the bottom, just incase you’re squeamish!
PRESS RELEASE
A family owned, professional, photography studio had a shock during renovation work of a 200 year old barn when a mummified cat was found in its walls on the outskirts of Belper.
Studio 1825, based on Spanker Lane in Nether Heage, has spent 15 months renovating the old barn so that husband and wife team, James & Kirsty Corbett, could relocate their businesses to be closer to their young family and their needs.
During the renovation, an unsuspecting workman on the site was removing old stone from a wall of the building, which is believed to date back to 1825, when he suddenly found that he’d thrown the mummified creature into the rubble heap meant for the stone. The cat, which was recognisable in shape and still has its teeth and claws, also had glass & stone bottles buried beneath it. Following a conversation with Derby Museums, James & Kirsty discovered it was customary to place the dried body of a cat inside the walls of a new building to ward off evil spirits or as a good luck charm. “Some friends and family suggested that the cat could’ve fallen and got stuck there” said James, who photographs newborn babies, children and families as well as work with the studio’s sister company, Be Bold Be You Photography, run by Kirsty “However, due to the location between the brick cavities and the bottles cemented in directly beneath we believe it was placed there deliberately.” The bottles found with the cat would have been offerings of alcohol or even urine just to add extra help in telling spirits to go "elsewhere".
“We were fortunate that my sister, who has a degree in Heritage Management, was able to have a look at the cat.” explained Kirsty. “She suggested that we donated it to a local museum and so we contacted Derby Museums who came out and collected the mummified creature and all of the bottles found beneath it”. “We’ve been told it will become part of their ancient Egypt exhibition as Derbyshire’s own version!” joked James and Kirsty.
Due to covid-19 the exhibition is yet to be updated but they’re hopeful that it will be on show for all to see and learn about soon. The studio renovation work was completed in July 2020, following delays due to a rogue builder, two floods in November 2019 and March 2020 as well as the impact of the coronavirus lockdown. “It’s fantastic to be back at work, doing what we love, and catching up with clients both old and new.” Said James “We feel very lucky, whether that’s thanks to the mummified cat or not, to have such a fabulous building to do what we do!”
