A TIME capsule has been buried inside the oven of the kitchen at Highcliffe Castle to leave a legacy for future generations.

The Count Rumford Oven, which is no longer in working order, is part of the original kitchen layout and dates back to when the castle was first built in the 1830’s.

The oven has recently undergone careful repair and preservation along with an Eagle range which is also situated in the kitchen.

Workers involved in the restoration work decided that the oven would be an ideal place for a time capsule and would leave a permanent memory of the present-day.

The contents in the time capsule include castle memorabilia, castle literature and a short piece on the history of the castle as well as current money, photos of the project team who worked on the development of the east wing, the current staff team and the team of volunteers.

Kate Ingham, heritage team leader at Highcliffe Castle, said: “We decided to mark this recent phase of the work to the castle by burying a time capsule for a future generation to discover.

"This is an exciting time for the castle and its team and we are looking forward to the opening of the east wing from early April onwards, with an official opening in late May 2019.”