Bar owners find 50-year-old secret hiding behind their walls during coronavirus lockdown

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for May 17

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com.

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.

That was unexpected.

A bar in the United Kingdom decided to take advantage of the lockdown and do some redecorating. When they decided to update the wallpaper, however, they uncovered a half-century-old secret.

“We decided, obviously, to close the pub due to the coronavirus outbreak,” bar manager Wendy Harrison told The Sun. "We thought we would do some decorating as it hasn't been touched for years." (BPM Media)

Andy Harrison and Tom Smith, landlords for the Cock Inn in Hanbury, were preparing to re-plaster the walls when they made the discovery, The Sun reports. As the duo scraped away the wallpaper, they uncovered a mural painted on the original plaster.

The hidden painting was signed, “George Cole, 1953.”

ARE BUFFET RESTAURANTS IN TROUBLE AFTER CORONAVIRUS REOPENING?

“We decided, obviously, to close the pub due to the coronavirus outbreak,” Wendy Harrison, Andy’s wife and bar manager told The Sun. "We thought we would do some decorating as it hasn't been touched for years. We started in the lounge and then decided we would do the bar as well. As we began to take off the wallpaper we saw a picture. We noticed that it went all the way around the pub.”

It would be nice to have some more information on George Cole and the piece," said Wendy Harrison. "We think he's local but we've got no information on him.” (BPM Media)

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

She explained that they had to remove a dartboard to uncover the entire painting, which she described as “quite big.”

"It's got a lake on it, with a bridge and there are lots of trees,” she explained. "There are a man and a boat on there too; it's really very impressive. There are rabbits, birds in the sky, there is all sorts going on in there. We have been in touch with artists about getting it touched up.”

Unfortunately, information about the artist has apparently been hard to come by.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"It has been covered up for about 50 years and we think it is around 70 years old,” Wendy continued. "It would be nice to have some more information on George Cole and the piece. We think he's local, but we've got no information on him.”