Letter from 1955 found during house renovation

A man who discovered in the walls of his house a letter written by a tradesman 71 years ago says he wants to find out more about the person who left it there.

Brendon Swallow has lived in his property in Welton, East Yorkshire, for 13 years, but he found the letter only while renovating his house last week.

The letter, which was wrapped up in an old newspaper, was addressed to the finder and signed by electrician Gordon Hopper on 1 March 1955.

"It's very nice that he took the time to write that, and it's great to be able to bring it out so people can see it, because that's obviously what he would have wanted when he wrote it," said Swallow.

He said he had first spotted the bundle of paper which was covered in dust when he pulled out an old bookshelf.

"I pulled it out and almost threw it away, but there was a sense of intrigue," he said.

When he opened up the newspaper, he saw the letter folded in it.

"It's just amazing. It's addressed to the finder, so it's quite exciting to be the finder and to read through it."

Hopper's letter outlines his rate of pay, the weather, his experiences of serving in the army, and the political climate of the day.

A note from his apprentice, Brian McDade, was also included within the bundle.

It stated that he was "18 years and three months" old and worked for Thompsons of Hull.

When Swallow removed another bookshelf, he found inscriptions from other tradespeople who had written on the walls during the mid-1900s.

"It would be fabulous to be able to find out some more about these people," he said.

"We intend to put the time capsule back in here in a sealed container, but also maybe with something about their history and maybe, if their families are still around, they'd like to add something to that.

"Then we'll put a little bit in about what's going on in the world today before we seal it all back up for the next generation to find," he added.

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