Mr Mclintock used an angle grinder to open the door and was then transported back in time by what he found

He discovered that one of its cupboards hadn't been opened for 40 years - and there was no key

The extraordinary find was made by Ronald Mclintock in a tower block in Hove where he's the caretaker


Over 250 cans of food and essential items bought in the 1970s have been found in near-perfect condition in a mysterious cupboard that hadn’t been opened in 40 years.

The extraordinary find was made by the caretaker of a tower block in Hove, East Sussex - and because there was no key, he had to use an angle grinder to gain entry.

Once Ronald Mclintock, 64, had opened the door on the 11th floor he was transported back in time.

Time warp: Items discovered in the cupboard are post-decimal 1971 but still have half pence on their prices, which were abolished in 1984 To Boldy go: Bold detergent (above) was launched in 1974 and this packaging was on the shelves until 2004, when it was given a major revamp. The design of the Heinz soup on the right has barely changed since the 1980s, but was very different in 1910, when it was first brought to the UK. Pumphrey's sugar crystals (far right) are no longer available but the firm still makes a tasty range of coffee. The Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate (far left), meanwhile, has a notable one and a half pence off

Inside he found tins of Heinz lentil and chicken and mushroom soup, mackerel in tomato sauce, Waitrose scotch broth soup and washing-up liquid.

Packs of Johnson’s baby powder, brown sugar crystals and cling film were also hidden inside the well organised cupboard.

Items discovered in the cupboard are post decimal 1971 but still have half pence on their prices, which were abolished in 1984.

Devon knows how it got here: Ambrosia has been making rice pudding since just before the outbreak of the Second World War and a tin of it was found in the corner of the mysterious cupboard in Hove. These days the product comes in a pot with a lid. On the right is another family favourite - Batchelors. They still make their famous Cup-A-Soup, but not the Pack-a-Pie filling pictured

Mr Mclintock also stumbled across baked beans, jars of coffee, unused pots and pans, a variety of cleaning products and powdered milk.

The items still had price labels on them including from shops such as Sainsburys, Waitrose and some were simply tagged ‘International’.

The cupboard is next to an access point and Mr Mclintock only made the discovery because he asked why no one had opened it.

No one in at the flats knows why the items would have been stored in such an unusual place or who may have put them there.

Remarkable find: Mr Mclintock (left) said the discovery he made at the tower block in Hove (right) was 'a little treasure trove of history' and he's reluctant to dispose of it

Mr Mclintock said: ‘It was pure curiosity. I thought it was just going to be full of rubbish so when I popped it open I got quite a shock.

‘No one can throw any light on where it all came from.

‘There were hundreds of old cans and goods, there was probably at least 250 items stored in the cupboard.

‘Someone had obviously spent a lot of money and were stocking up for some reason.

‘Apart from an exploded tin of prunes, it was in perfect condition.’

Mr Mclintock continued: ‘The seventies was a very uncertain time, with the miner’s strikes, the three day week and the Cold War - so maybe someone was preparing for the apocalypse.