Workers Discovered These Heartbreaking WWII Love Letters Under The Floorboards Of An English Hotel

In a tiny back room of a sprawling Victorian hotel, builders are busy carrying out renovations to space now used to house cleaning appliances. But as they pry up the ageing floorboards, they discover something unexpected hiding beneath. Instead of an empty, dusty space, they find a cache of historic artifacts dating back to World War II – including some love letters that tell a heartrending story.

For almost two centuries, the Esplanade Hotel has welcomed visitors to the seaside town of Scarborough on England’s north-east coast. But during the war, holidaymakers were replaced with servicemen as the building was repurposed to serve as military accommodation. Now, workers have discovered an unintentional time capsule from this turbulent part of Britain’s past.

In February 2021 renovations revealed a collection of historic relics stashed beneath the floorboards of the Esplanade. And while some of them were just everyday objects, others were clearly items once treasured by their owner – such as the bundle of love letters, penned between sweethearts as the bloody conflict kept them from each other’s arms.

As historians from the Scarborough Historical and Archaeological Society (SHAS) began to investigate the letters, a tear-jerking tale of love and loss emerged. Who were this couple, ruthlessly torn apart by the horrors of World War II? And did their romance have a happy ending? As the story played out in the national press, members of the public stepped forwards to fill in the gaps.

First built in the 1830s on a clifftop overlooking the North Sea, the Esplanade was once one of Scarborough’s grandest hotels. And even today, its Victorian architecture and spectacular views are popular with visiting tourists. But it has not always been the setting for relaxed, carefree holidays on the English coast.