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Regional daily’s 80s time capsule unearthed by workmen

A time capsule buried during a daily newspaper’s office move in the 1980s has been unearthed by demolition crews.

The hoard of memorabilia was found by workers at York-based title The Press’s former headquarters on Walmgate in the city.

The box was placed below the building when it was constructed to replace the newspaper’s former offices in Coney Street.

Staff have since moved to a new base next door to the Walmgate site, which is currently being renovated into student accommodation.

The trove includes a booklet, signed by dozens of members of staff, revealing that a foundation stone and time capsule ceremony took place on 17 November, 1988.

A selection of issues of The Yorkshire Evening Press, the Press’s former incarnation, from that month were buried in the capsule – alongside video footage of the Coney Street offices, the new building in Walmgate and also scenes from the city centre.

Other items in the box included a packet of Smarties made at the city’s Rowntree factory, a Garfield key ring, a pair of sunglasses, a pocket calculator and a Yorkshire Evening Press inked stamp.

A cassette tape containing oral history interviews with readers was also found in the capsule, and the audio recordings have now been uploaded to its website.

To listen and see the video, click here.

Work on the building is expected to be completed by September.