Renovation work at a York hotel yielded a secret which had rested undisturbed beneath its floorboards for nearly 40 years.

Hotel manager Michael Morgan, left, with the Evening Press found under the floorboards in the Barbican Hotel during work by electrician Alan Bell, right, and his assistant Barry Bell Pictures: David Harrison

The note found with the old newspapers

Michael Morgan, the owner of the Barbican Hotel, found a mysterious package wrapped in old brown paper when he and two friends began taking up the floorboards.

Convinced they had chanced upon something special, they carefully unwrapped the package to find an Evening Press dating back to September 1962, together with two other newspapers and a magazine from the same time.

A cryptic note attached read: "For your interest and amusement. Sorry, no treasure." The note was initialled 'CH' and dated October 18, 1962.

Mr Morgan said: "I think 'CH' is a previous owner called Mr Humphries. We were pulling up some of the floorboards and we could see in a certain section that there was a package on a ledge.

"The three of us got very excited - our imaginations were running wild. We opened it up and found the note and the papers."

He said: "I suppose it's some kind of time capsule. After I've read the papers, I will be putting them back where they were - together with copies of each of the publications from 2000."

The copy of the Evening Press is a Saturday edition from September 1, 1962, slightly discoloured, but in very good condition. The price was 3d.

The front page headline read "50 killed as Wild Wanda strikes Hong Kong", referring to the devastation caused by Typhoon Wanda.

The main local photograph showed the Sergeants' Mess fancy dress ball held at Imphal Barracks.

On the television that night was Steptoe And Son, Jukebox Jury and the Billy Cotton Band Show.

The film Tigress Of Bengal was showing at the Tower Cinema, in New Street, York, and New York drama Double Door was about to open at York Theatre Royal.

Advertisements in the Press included a show house in Badger Hill, York, priced at £2,740 and a bungalow in Stockton Lane, costing £1,795.

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