She said: "I was astonished when the builders came to show me what they had found. It is very interesting. They were removing the concrete floor and apparently, it was just lying there underneath.

“It is quite crumpled and faded but some of the text is still readable.

"It is very different from the newspapers of today and looks more like a newsletter.

"It appears to mainly carry listings and advertisements, such as the opening of a new library and an item about the Theatre Royal."

The Manchester Evening News was established in 1868, just five years before Mrs Conley's newspaper was published, and the copy she found is very different from today's news-packed editions.

A section entitled "Amusements" lists a performance of "Faust and Marguerite" at the Theatre Royal in Manchester, with the actress taking the part of Marguerite billed simply as Miss Wallis.

There was obviously already an interest in recycling at that time, with one advert reading: "Waste paper - old ledgers, letters, invoices, newspapers, pamphlets wanted for re-manufacture. Good prices given."

A venue called "Hamilton's Popular Entertainment" was the place to go for a night out, with an advert boasting: "Now in the full tide of success - nineteenth week, 100,000 persons have visited."

Another item advertises a medicine containing Chlorodyne, which is described as a "pleasant and effective remedy for coughs, colds and consumption."

Mrs Conley said she was planning to keep hold of the paper because she felt it was part of the history of the house.

She said: "I believe the owner of the mills in this area owned a manor house near here which has now been transformed into flats. He also built two semi detached Victorian style houses for his sons in 1873, one of which is mine.

"I think it is very interesting to look at the newspaper and think that it has been hidden for as long as this house has been built. The builders have done a very good job spotting what it was, it is part of the history of the house."

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