The discoveries have been made at the old A. Cheers & Sons Ltd shop, in South Street, Boston, by property developer Shane Gostelow.
Shane, 40, of Boston, took on the building last April.
Ahead of its closure shortly before last year’s handover, Cheers had traded from the site since the early 1900s.
However, the history of the building dates far beyond that – as illustrated by numerous finds Shane has made in the past 12 months.
These include:
- a tunnel beneath the property that is thought to lead to the Guildhall and perhaps also the riverbank.
- an oak-panelled and flock wallpaper-lined office on the first-floor, believed to date from the 18th century, that was previously hidden behind shop fittings, chipboard, plaster, more than half-a-dozen layers of wallpaper, and Hessian sack.
- two rooms with barred windows in them – one on the ground-floor, hidden behind a cupboard and laid with flagstone, the other on the first-floor sealed behind a wall.
- a large range on the ground-floor, too big for domestic use, hidden behind shelving, board and concrete blocks.
- part of a ship, reclaimed as a ceiling beam
Shane’s connection to the building goes back to his days at Boston Gramar School.
“I used to walk past it every day,” he said.
He said he was ‘curious’ about the building when it went on the market and then ‘fell in love’ with its ‘size, scale and potential history’.
At that time, his idea was to create a coffee shop or some kind of eatery on the ground floor. That plan remains in place; however, in light of the historical discoveries, Shane wants to open the space further so the community is able to appreciate the heritage on site, describing the building as a ‘historical asset’.
“ I want to share it with the Boston public,” he said.
1. Peeling back the years at Cheers
When is a drapers table not a drapers table? When it's a baby grand piano. Among the surprising discoveries made by Shane after he took on the building was finding a baby grand piano on the ground floor, tucked away and out of sight of where customers would have been able to go. "It looked like a drapers table," he said. "I didn't know it was a piano until I started to wheel it around." It was made by Murdoch of London and still works. "It's definitely been well-loved, it's got glass rings on it," said Shane. Photo: David Seymour
2. Peeling back the years at Cheers
When Shane took down the false ceiling on part of the ground-floor, a rich history presented itself. Not only was there evidence of fire damage, but one beam (pictured in the foreground above) appears to have been reclaimed from a ship, with nautical detailing on show, but also salt damage. This is the part of the building that was formerly a confectioner's and, before that, a beerhouse - the Hope and Anchor. Photo: David Seymour
3. Peeling back the years at Cheers
A closer look at the fire-damaged ceiling, previously out of sight. Photo: David Seymour
4. Peeling back the years at Cheers
Shane initially thought this circular piece of metal on the floor would reveal access to a water isolation valve. Instead, he found it was hiding a floor safe. Photo: David Seymour