Manchester golf club finds a boozy time capsule

One minute it was a routine round at the 13th hole. The next, the ground gave way – revealing a hidden wine cellar sealed for nearly 120 years beneath a Manchester golf course. The brick chamber, packed with dozens of historic wine and port bottles, surfaced after a sinkhole opened up at Davyhulme Park Golf Club in Trafford. Believed to date back to a manor house demolished in 1888, the discovery has left members stunned.

From sinkhole to a wine-cellar
Martyn Hamer, a professional at the club, recalled the moment the surprise surfaced: “The green keeper came into the shop and said: ‘I’ve made a discovery on the golf course.’” Initially thought to be a collapsed drain, the site was excavated with an on-site digger, revealing brickwork below. Torch in hand, staff climbed inside to find rows of empty bottles. “It’s quite exciting for the golf club. We do have a rich history and we are aware that before the golf club was there, it was a manor,” Hamer said, as per reports from The Independent.

A vintage viral moment
The reaction has been as lively as the cellar once was. “In our world, when we put things on social media, if we get 100 views, we’re very happy. On Instagram, the video (of the cellar) got 40,000 views within a day, which for us is really good,” Hamer said, adding that locals were thrilled by the glimpse into the club’s past. Though some have offered to buy the bottles, the club plans to display them instead. After all, as Hamer said, “It looks like they had a good time back in the day.”

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