A mum-of-two couldn't believe her eyes after coming across a century-old Dairy Milk bar sleeve beneath the original bathroom floorboards of her 1930s house. Emma Young, who'd been renovating her home at the time, initially assumed she'd just unearthed some old rubbish, however, after brushing the dust away, she realised she'd come across a little piece of history.
The 'beautiful' rectangular cardboard sleeve, which is nearly one hundred years old, had Cadbury's' distinctive purple packaging and appeared to be in 'pristine' condition, so much so that Emma believes it could simply be popped back on the shelf.
At first, the communications consultant didn't recognise the gold-lettered wrapper as a chocolate bar but quickly realised it must be pretty old as it bore a 'six pence' price tag.
She initially left the 16cm long vintage packet on her mantelpiece and tried to figure out how old it was, before deciding to reach out directly to Cadbury's, who informed her that it was a 1930-1934 Cadbury's Dairy Milk.
Emma, of Plymouth, Devon, said: "What stunned me a lot was its condition. It's in such good nick and one side is pristine - you wouldn't believe that it was nearly 100 years old.
"I think because it's so old, I was expecting it to be almost illegible but apart from one side that had been chewed by mice, the other side looks like something you'd put on a shelf. It says 'Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate Neapolitan' and 'made in the garden village of Bournville England', it's lovely."
She continued: "There's no chocolate inside, someone's had the treasure. It's an obvious sleeve, I think the bar inside would have slid out. The house was built around 1932 and given its age and that the chocolate was only around between 1930-34, I'm wondering if it was a builder having a snack that left it."
The bar would have been on the shelves at a time when King George V was on the throne, and Ramsay MacDonald was prime minister.
Emma says she's always been a chocolate lover, with Cadbury's being a personal favourite, so this discovery felt particularly special. She now hopes to have the bar framed and displayed proudly in her home.
According to Emma: "It's more than a wrapper, it's a bit of history. It's been sitting on our mantlepiece because it's a little bit of a talking point.
"I was proud in a sense and obviously showed my children and when they realised it was older than their great nanna, they suddenly realised the age of the chocolate wrapper that's been living under their bathroom floor."
She added: "It's got a lot of sentimental value. I think it might have to be framed and go on the bathroom wall with the date of the find because that's where it belongs, so we'll put it back where we found it but in full view this time.
"As we're doing the house up we're not ripping out the 1930s features, we're keeping the spirit of the property - and even what was under the floorboards."
A Cadbury's spokesperson said: "We were delighted to see the joy that this piece of Cadbury history has brought! As the nation's favourite chocolate brand, Cadbury has a rich heritage and has been part of British culture and heritage for almost 200 hundred years.
"These 1930s Dairy Milk Neopolitans are a reminder that our chocolate plays a cherished role in people's lives and we're thrilled to hear that this particular discovery will be treasured forever."
Have you found something interesting under the floorboards? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
