ECHOES of the past were revived when a time capsule, buried in a church more than 120 years ago, was opened again.

The glass jar had been carefully sealed by using solder to secure the metal lid and as a result the contents had not deteriorated.

These included a copy of the Andover Advertiser dated 23 May, 1879 which was in pristine condition.

Also enclosed in the time capsule was a report of the Order of Service for when the school rooms at the United Reformed Church in East Street, Andover, were first opened on 18 June 1879. It was within those school rooms the time capsule was unearthed a few years ago when they were demolished.

The capsule had remained unopened until now, when it was thought the contents ought to be examined and properly archived.

There were also notes on scripture lessons, a copy of The Sunday School Chronicle of 13 June, 1879 and a copy of the Andover Congregational Church Messenger, priced at 1d.

Church minister, the Rev Derek Overfield, said they would be working to create a new time capsule later this year which may contain some of the items from the old one to perpetuate the heritage.

"We are very pleased with what we have found and, of course, these items must be looked after for future generations," he said.

Among those invited to be present at the opening of the time capsule was Andover Advertiser editor Joe Scicluna, who said it was thrilling to see this copy of the newspaper in such wonderful condition after all these years.

"This underlines the important role attached to a newspaper such as ours which reliably records and reflects life within the community," he said.