Electricians are unearthing fascinating things as they rewire Buckingham Palace

If walls could talk, Buckingham Palace would certainly have some fascinating conversations. The headquarters of the British Monarchy is currently undergoing a 10-year electrical update, and the project is uncovering the next best thing -- pieces of history, balled up here and there, hidden for decades.

Posted 3:34 p.m. Jan 19, 2018 — Updated 3:34 p.m. Jan 19, 2018

AJ Willingham (CNN)

(CNN) — If walls could talk, Buckingham Palace would certainly have some fascinating conversations. The headquarters of the British Monarchy is currently undergoing a 10-year electrical update, and the project is uncovering the next best thing -- pieces of history, balled up here and there, hidden for decades.

The re-wiring project, which will replace the aging wiring throughout the 775-room complex, requires work below the floorboards, above the ceilings and in nooks and crannies around the palace where people rarely go. Which is why workers find things like, say, this piece of an old edition of the "Evening Standard" newspaper, published on November 27, 1889, during Queen Victoria's reign -- nearly 130 years ago.

Historically, there have been plenty of smokers in Buckingham Palace, as evidenced by these cigarette packages from bygone eras.

The Royal Family shared these interesting tidbits on social media, along with some more information about the Palace's electrical situation. Did you know the complex has 6,500 plugs and 5,000 light fittings? No wonder it's going to take ten years -- and plenty of little historical discoveries -- to get it all sorted.

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