HISTORY IN THE MAKING: ROLLS-ROYCE FUTURE TALENT PUTS THE SEAL ON UNIQUE TIME CAPSULE TO MARK EXTENSION PROJECT

• Rolls-Royce creates a unique time capsule to mark its Goodwood
  extension project
• Ceremony involving members of Rolls-Royce’s Future Talent
  programme to officially seal the capsule
• To be opened on the marque’s 150th anniversary in 2054
• Contains artefacts chosen by each department and function across
  the company
• Objects include those likely to be obsolete, and others
  potentially still in use, 30 years hence

 “With this time capsule, we’re creating our own piece of
history to hand on to our successors here at Goodwood. It serves as
a snapshot of who we are and what we do today, by preserving some of
the tools of our trade from every part of the modern Rolls-Royce
business. Some we’ve picked precisely because we know future
generations will regard them as long-superseded relics of a departed
age. Others we’ve included because we’re confident they’ll still be
in use in 2054, so those working here when we celebrate our 150th
anniversary will see themselves as part of an unbroken line of
craftsmanship and excellence spanning the decades. Indeed, I very
much hope these members of our Future Talent programme, who worked
together to make this project happen, are still here to unveil the
capsule’s contents in 2054.”

Mark Adams, Director of Human Resources, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars





Rolls-Royce is upholding a longstanding tradition of
creating a time capsule as part of a major construction project – in
the marque’s case, the landmark extension now under construction at
the Home of Rolls-Royce, which represents the largest single
investment in its Goodwood-based facilities in more than 20 years.

The capsule’s contents were collated by representatives from
each of Rolls-Royce’s Future Talent programmes, including Interns,
Graduates and Apprentices. On the evidence of its Service Recognition
Awards programme, an annual ceremony which recognises Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars’ longest-serving colleagues, there is every likelihood that
some will still be working at the Home of Rolls-Royce when the capsule
is opened three decades from now.

Unlike most time capsules, the Rolls-Royce example will not be
buried on-site to be disinterred later; it will instead act as a point
of interest for staff and visitors alike in the reception area at the
Home of Rolls-Royce. Once the extension is completed, it will move to
a permanent residence in the new facility.

Contained within the capsule are artefacts selected by every
department and function across the company; its contents will remain a
secret until it is opened. Some of these items have been chosen to
create a historical record, on the basis that they will be obsolete by
the time the capsule is opened in 2054, the year in which the marque
will celebrate its 150th anniversary. Others, however, have been
included precisely because they will almost certainly remain in daily
use 30 years hence, underlining the continuity and heritage that make
Rolls-Royce, its craftsmanship and its products unique.

It is hoped that the capsule will spark questions and
conversations, in the same way as the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’,
installed in each Rolls-Royce Private Office around the world,
provides inspiration for Bespoke commissions. The fact that the
capsule’s contents will be concealed – and a closely guarded secret –
only adds to the sense of intrigue and possibility.