Time capsule opened as old village hall demolished

Eileen Nisbet had the honour of opening the time capsule

A time capsule has been opened earlier than planned, after the village hall it was resting under had to be demolished to make way for the HS2 railway line.

The capsule in Burton Green near Coventry was due to remain underground for years to come but it was recovered during the demolition process, and opened inside the new village hall, built by HS2.

An edition of The Sunday Times newspaper buried in the capsule featured articles about rail strikes and the rising cost of butter.

A letter written by a seven-year-old boy, who will now be 49 years old, shared an insight into the cost of a first class stamp, which the letter said cost just 15p at the time the metal box was buried.

Chair of trustees Cheryl Wall said the letters written by children brought back memories for people

Cheryl Wall, chair of trustees at Burton Green Village Hall, said: “I think the letters from the children were particularly moving.

“You could see people reacting to some of the things as they came out of the time capsule that they remembered – people, and what was going on at the time.”

One of those who had written a letter for the time capsule died in a motorbike accident earlier this year, according to local resident Eileen Nisbet.

“That was very emotional, and everybody knew him,” she said.

Brownie leader Helen Lloyd was a Brownie herself when the time capsule was buried

Helen Lloyd, who was a Brownie back in 1982 and now leads a Brownie pack, said opening the time capsule brought back a lot of memories.

She said: “When I was just looking through it there was all the badges that we used to do.

“I had an amazing time in Brownies, it was such good fun.”

A new time capsule was buried underneath the new village hall in 2022, and it is hoped it will remain undisturbed for longer than its predecessor.