IT's not every day you discover a secret time capsule hidden in your house — but that's exactly what happened to a Peter Tavy woman last week.

Judith Drake, who lives at Sowton Town, is in the middle of having a new kitchen built at her 19th century home.

But while workmen were knocking down a pillar during construction, they discovered an original clay cloam oven.

Judith said: 'I had absolutely no idea it was there. Ken, my builder, called me and said "Look what I've found — there's something here".'

Inside the hidden cloam oven was a home-made time capsule, dating from 1968.

Items in the jar included a 4d copy of the Tavistock Times from Friday June 28, with the headline 'I saw Kray man in my pub — licensee'. The paper was published just days after Frank Mitchell, the 'Mad Axman', escaped from Dartmoor Prison.

'Coincidentally, Ken was working at Dartmoor at the time,' said Judith, who said the beautifully preserved paper made fascinating reading.

'It was the house prices that cracked me up — and you could get a brand new Mini for £407!' she said.

There was also a letter from the children living in the house at the time, written by David Mudge, who was then 13.

His last sentence was: 'I

wonder when this will be opened?'

In fact, the time capsule was re-opened in 1981. In addition to David's letter, there was a letter from Montague Jinman, stonemason, which stated he was re-sealing the capsule, along with a copy of another newspaper from September 28.

Judith said she felt 'amazed' at the unexpected find.

'It really makes the hairs on the back of your neck rise. You hear about time capsules but you never think you are going to find one that hasn't been opened for so long.

'I called in all the neighbours because they knew the Mudges, and they came over while I opened it — it was quite spooky really.'

Now Judith has made her own additions to the time capsule, which will eventually be hidden in the wall behind a new Aga.

She said: 'My son Thomas, who is also 13, has written a letter to put in it, I also thought I'd put in a Safeway's bill, so you can see prices of things.

'There's a single child's shoe, because that's supposed to bring good luck, and some coal and salt — coal, so you always have heat, and salt so you always have food.

'There's also a book which we started on Millennium Eve, of all the people who were here at the time.'

An information sheet about the house, the hamlet and the neighbours has been included, plus leaflets about the area, photographs and of course, an edition of the Times.

Judith said she has been told it is not rare to find bricked-in cloam ovens in old houses in this area — but 'very rare indeed' to find a time capsule inside them. 'It's nice — I still can't believe it,' she said.

l Pictured is Judith Drake with her 1968 copy of the Times.