Upholsterer finds 200-year-old love letter inside chair

The letter was discovered hidden inside the arm of an antique chair

A 200-year-old love letter has been found hidden in the arm of a chair at a furniture upholsterers in Gloucestershire.

The note, written in French, was bought in a house clearance in France.

It includes the line: "I burden you with kisses and caresses until... I need you in this moment of desire. I love you."

The letter was found by Graham Simpson, of Theocus Furniture in Tewkesbury, who asked for help to translate it.

"When I started to work on the arm", said Mr Simpson, "I could see a small note, tightly folded up about the size of a penny.

"When I opened it, to my amazement it was a note written in pencil, in old French."

The chair's owner, Georgina Mucklow-Davis, explained that it came from a house in the village of St Marcel sur Aude she bought "from a lovely French family who've been living there for over 150 years".

She has written to the family asking if they have any idea who might have written the letter.

Intrigued to see what the note said, Mr Simpson posted photographs of it on Facebook and a French friend was able to translate it.

The style of language suggests it was composed about 200 years ago.

It is believed the letter was written from a woman to a man and sent from the town of Mercurol in the Alps.

"It is wonderful to have such a unique little note found its way from the Alps to my shop in Tewkesbury", said Mr Simpson.