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Jewish time capsule from 1870s found in Manchester synagogue

Manchester Jewish Museum Time capsuleManchester Jewish Museum
The artefacts are dated from around the time the synagogue was built in 1873

A hidden time capsule dating back to the 1870s has been found in the walls of a former synagogue.

A builder found the sealed glass jar containing newspapers, old coins and synagogue minutes during renovations at the building in Manchester.

The Cheetham Hill synagogue closed in the 1980s and later became home to Manchester Jewish Museum.

The Grade II-listed building is being restored and extended as part of a £5m project.

Manchester Jewish Museum SynagogueManchester Jewish Museum
The synagogue closed in the 1980s and later become home to Manchester Jewish Museum

The museum said staff were "thrilled" by news of the capsule, which was found in a cavity wall near a space used to house sacred scrolls.

The jar is believed to have been hidden soon after the synagogue was founded in 1873.

The museum said early synagogue minutes show records of the capsule being laid in the cornerstone of the building.

Manchester Jewish Museum Time capsuleManchester Jewish Museum
A builder found the capsule in a cavity wall

"We are thrilled and overwhelmed by its discovery and look forward to showing it off in our collection when we reopen next spring," the museum's chief executive Max Dunbar said.

The museum has a collection of more than 31,000 objects - including an English/Hebrew teapot and the belongings of a Holocaust survivor who spent the war hiding in a coal cellar.

The museum said staff were yet to open the capsule and examine its contents in more detail.