Aged to perfection indeed!
In a surprising turn of events, a small sinkhole emerged on an English golf course, unveiling a stunning 19th-century wine cellar filled with historic bottles.
Steve Hopkins, a groundskeeper at Davyhulme Park Golf Club in Trafford, discovered this hidden gem near the 13th hole, as he revealed on Wednesday.
“I am the first person to enter that room in over a century,” Hopkins shared with the UK Guardian. “Initially, we thought it was just a drainage issue that needed fixing. However, as we dug deeper, the ground opened up beneath us.”
Upon further exploration, Hopkins discovered a hidden underground door. Crawling through, he found himself in a brick cellar with an arched ceiling, surrounded by dozens of empty, timeworn glass bottles, once filled with wine and port.
This forgotten treasure trove belonged to Davyhulme Hall, a historic manor dating back to the 12th century, which was once the residence of the medieval English knight John de Hulme.
The Hall was demolished in 1888 before and the golf club was built on the property in 1911.
“The bottles have been removed for safekeeping while we work out their next chapter. Perhaps they’ll make a lovely display in the clubhouse – we’ll keep you posted!” the golf club wrote on Facebook.
The hall and its surrounding estates were inherited in 1844 by Robert Henry Norreys, locally known as Squire Bob, who was an avid athlete and created a nine-hole golf course on the east side of the hall.
The 13th hole is known as “the Cellars,” hinting that the wine storage was known back when the course was being built.
