More than a century after being mailed from Bath, United Kingdom and getting lost in the mail in 1916, a letter was eventually delivered to a London address. The letter, which was sent in February 1916, surprised the current residents when it arrived at the designated address, as per a report in CNN.
The envelope had a penny George V stamp and was probably written during the First World War. Theater director Finlay Glen spoke to the outlet and said, "We noticed that the year on it was '16. So, we thought it was 2016. Then we noticed that the stamp was a King rather than a Queen, so we felt that it couldn't have been 2016."
The letter arrived at the property a few years ago but Mr Glen had just recently given it to a local historical organisation so that they could further investigate it. He told CNN, "Once we realized it was very old, we felt that it was okay to open up the letter."
According to Stephen Oxford, the editor of The Norwood Review, a local history magazine, it was addressed to Katie Marsh, who was married to stamp dealer Oswald Marsh, and was sent by her friend Christabel Mennell, who was on vacation in Bath. The letter read, "My dear Katie, will you lend me your aid - I am feeling quite ashamed of myself after saying what I did at the circle." She further added, "I've been most miserable here with a very heavy cold."
As per a report in The Guardian, the Royal Mail said it remained "uncertain what happened in this instance". However, Mr Oxford stated that the letter was most likely lost at the Sydenham sorting office which has closed. "I think it is being redeveloped. So, in that process they must have found this letter hidden somewhere, perhaps fallen behind some furniture."
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He further explained how the area became popular during that era. "The Upper Norwood and Crystal Palace area became very popular with wealthy middle-class people in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The letter is from Christabel Mennel, the daughter of a local wealthy tea merchant, Henry Tuke Mennell," Mr Oxford concluded.
Glen and his girlfriend said they would be happy to give the letter to a local archive if it has "serious historical significance." However, if it is discovered to be more "innocuous," it would be nice for them to hold onto it.
