Alan Needham, a 60-year-old roofer from Blyth, Northumberland, has rediscovered a secret photo of his son that he hid under a roof slate at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle 24 years ago. The photo, showing his son Ross at age 13, was placed there in 2002 during earlier work on the building.
Rediscovery during refurbishment
Needham found the picture while carrying out refurbishment work on the Grade II listed roof of Blandford House, home to the Discovery Museum, as part of a £3 million restoration project. He works for F&I Group and is part of the team carefully removing and replacing large Burlington slate tiles.
“In 2002 I came to Discovery Museum to take a section of the roof off at the front, and I decided again to leave a little treasure, of my son, one of my sons, Ross Alan Needham, a picture when he was 13,” Needham said. “I never thought I would come back to this job 24 years later, doing the same area of roof and finding what I had left. I'm 60 now.”
Emotional reunion
When Needham found the photo, he became emotional. “When I found it, I started to fill up, and I showed Ross. The only thing you've got in this life are your family,” he said. “I constantly do everything for my family, everything I have ever done, I’m not interested in material goods.”
This is the first time Needham has returned to a roof where he left a hidden picture. He has previously left secret photos at Newcastle City Hall and Gateshead Town Hall during his 42-year career. “It's just something nice for someone to find in 50 or 60 years to say 'I wonder if he's still alive?' – that's why I leave them,” he added.
Future plans
Needham intends to continue the tradition. “I will leave something again – with my two sons on, my grandchildren, whatever foster child I have at the time – and possibly my wife!” he said.
Nick Butterley, Customer and Facilities Manager at Discovery Museum, commented: “It's pretty amazing to meet Alan – knowing that Alan was the man to have worked on that specific part of the roof 24 years ago – and where better to leave a personal time capsule than on a museum roof?” Butterley noted the delicate nature of the work, with each slate removed and stored carefully before being replaced in exactly the same order. “It’s a very tricky, precarious job, and it's been great to hear such a story from Alan during the process.”
About the museum
Blandford House opened in 1899 as headquarters for the Co-operative Wholesale Society and became the Discovery Museum in 1993. It is owned by Newcastle City Council and managed by North East Museums. The museum remains open as usual during the roof works, with summer holiday activities planned.
