Couple renovating their 1930s home baffled after making discovery within wall

A couple who are in the process of renovating their newly-purchased 1930s property have been left baffled after spotting something embedded in an interior wall. Homeowners, Charlotte and Joey Whitehouse took to TikTok to showcase their unusual discovery.

Joey explained the pair are transforming their semi-detached abode "from top to bottom" despite having "practically zero" experience. "That has included endless layers of wallpaper, rubbish and trips to an from the car," he elaborated in a video before highlighting a hole in the living room wall that had been concealed by wallpaper. After removing a layer of foam, Joey then realised another item had been deliberately placed behind it.

"We found this newspaper," he continued. "The house was built in the 30s and the people before us had been here for at least 57 years."

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Joey then unfolded the publication and it soon became apparent it was an edition of the Evening Standard dated Wednesday, October 11, 1967.

"It seems pretty crazy to us, because you can still read the newspaper still," he said of how well it had been preserved.

Writing in response, others revealed what they had come across during their own renovation projects. one TikTok user shared: "We found postcards from 1940s, we’ve now framed them and put them in the study on the wall."

A second person added: "Found a paper from 1912 with Titanic on it, could hardly read it."

While a third eerily recalled: "My sister found letters from the 50s when renovating our family home from the previous owner's daughter detailing abuse that went on inside the house, creeped my sister out so she burned them. We moved in in 1980, letters were in the wall about 70 years at the time they were found."

Elsewhere, another TikTok user pointed out a possible explanation for the space in the wall. "When houses had coal fires, ventilation, draught, was needed," they explained. "This is a closed up vent, high level in upstairs rooms, probably above bedroom doors also."

One individual also suggested to Joey: "Keep your eye out under the floor boards for coins. we found one in our brick work. Also our vents had newspaper in as well."

And a second recommended: "Put a newspaper from today in there and seal it back up for the next owners."

Char and Joey also said of their mammoth task: "Safe to say we got straight in there ripping off what felt like a million layers of wallpaper... no word of a lie because did they really need to change their wallpaper at least 50 times before moving out?

"We have three weeks to renovate upstairs before our tenancy is up at our flat, so it’s all hands to the pump to get it liveable for us and the cats."