A 1967 mural hidden behind plasterboard has been uncovered by a British furniture restorer

Surprise discovery inside an old cottage

According to УНІАН — Туризм: Chloe Kempster, a furniture restorer and artist from Britain, made an unexpected find while carrying out renovation work on a cottage built in 1829 in Cottingham, a town in northeast England. The project involved installing a wood-burning stove, refurbishing an existing fireplace, and plastering the room where she was working. After removing a section of plasterboard above the fireplace, she revealed a large painted landscape. The artwork depicts a rural fox-hunting scene, showing two riders in red coats on horseback with several dogs running alongside them. The mural carries the date 1967, meaning it has remained hidden for almost six decades.

Kempster said she was amazed: 'We never expected such a gorgeous painting tucked behind the wall, left behind by the previous owners and marked 1967. It was a truly meaningful find and a wonderful glimpse into the rural atmosphere of its time.'

Before continuing the renovation, Kempster plans to document the artwork with photographs. However, keeping the mural intact through the restoration work will probably prove impossible. The woman who owns the cottage hopes to create something afterward in memory of the people who once lived there.

More pieces of history uncovered

Recent months have brought other historical discoveries as well. Near the village of Stari Skomorokhy in the Prykarpattia region, a sealed canister was found containing documents from the Blishivtsi district leadership of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), dated 1948–1949. Those materials have already been transferred to the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Museum of Liberation Struggle named after Stepan Bandera. Meanwhile, in the Khmelnytskyi region, archaeologists digging at a burial mound discovered a Scythian tomb from the 4th century BC. Among the artifacts were horse harness elements and a bronze plaque decorated with a floral motif.

Finds such as the one made by Chloe Kempster offer fresh glimpses into the past and help reconstruct the lives of earlier generations. They also demonstrate how vital it is to safeguard cultural heritage and support scholarly work that can illuminate forgotten corners of history, giving people today a tangible link to those who came before them.