A Cambridge academic says she feared for her life after being trapped in the bathroom of a medieval tower for seven hours before managing to escape.
Dr. Krisztina Ilko used eyeliner and a cotton swab to loosen the locks on the heavy wooden bathroom door found in her Queens’ College room, once occupied by 16th-century philosopher Desiderius Erasmus.
The 33-year-old feared she would be trapped for days after failing to open the door lock, leaving her locked in the windowless room of the historic tower on Thursday.
The rooms would not be cleaned until Monday, which meant the junior researcher had to spend more than 100 hours in the bathroom without food or her cell phone.
Dr. Ilko revealed how she tried to hit the shower head against the door to break it open and desperately called for help before turning to the two everyday objects to aid in her escape.
Dr. Krisztina Ilko used eyeliner and a cotton swab to pick the locks on the heavy wooden bathroom door of the Queens’ College rooms
The 33-year-old feared she would be trapped for days after being locked in the windowless room of the historic tower on Thursday
Dr. Ilko revealed how she tried to hit the shower head against the door to break it open and shouted for help before turning to the two everyday objects to help save her
She told the Telegraph: ‘I tried to remember how long someone can survive on water alone and hoped I wouldn’t die there.
“If people came looking for me, would they check the bathroom, or would I have to wait until Monday?
‘I tried to hit the shower head against the door, smash it with brute force and shout for help, but nothing worked and no one could hear me.’
After bruising her shoulder from the failed attempts to break open the door, Dr. Ilko inserted the eyeliner pencil through the keyhole to push down the latch on the other side, then used the cotton swab as a hook to free herself.
She revealed that she is a fan of fictional problem solver MacGyver, which inspired her to use the two items to aid her escape.
She added: ‘I was very happy and also quite proud that I was able to use my mind to get out. I felt relief, absolutely.
‘Sometimes when I hear noises here I joke that it is the ghost of Erasmus, then I thought I would join him and become a Cambridge legend.’
The university scientist believes the door handle was broken earlier that week by a plumber working on her shower.
The college has since removed the lock from the bathroom door.
Queens’ College has been contacted for comment.