THE renovation of a hight street premises in Whitchurch has uncovered a treasure trove of artefacts from the shop's history.

Gallery Flowers, in High Street was opened by florist Jenni Mchale earlier this year but required a complete renovation after a previous owner neglected the property.

But during the £70,000 and rising renovations, Jenni discovered several clues to the building's past.

Hidden behind the shop's false ceiling and below the floorboards were a lot of the shops original features including a well and a large and as yet unidentified key.

For Jenni moving into the shop was a long harboured dream.

"We were in Green End for 20 years," said Jenni

"For 20 years I've loved this shop but over the years it's just been too expensive.

"The lease was coming to an end in the old shop, so the time was right to move in.

"It needed a lot of work doing, so it was hell for leather for a while. All the pipe work was broken, all the electrics. It's taken us nine months to get to this stage.

"We knew there was something here. In the past the building has been a café, a shoe shop and various restaurants."

Various members of the shop's storied history have signed the pillars and walls in the basement below the shop, one of which was Joseph Smith.

"Joseph signed a pillar when he was 16 in 1945. He's since passed away but we've found his family and taken them down to the cellar to show them.

"We said to the children, that's your grandfather who signed that."