50 years after their visit, a Canadian couple returned a key they accidentally took from hotel in Amesbury.

Sam Neale, General Manager of the historic George Hotel in Amesbury got the surprise of his professional career when he opened a letter and out dropped an ancient hotel key.

All the way from Canada, it was an apology letter from Andrew and Linda Foster, a couple who live in Cambridge, Ontario.  

Sam Neale, General Manager of the historic George Hotel in Amesbury got the surprise of his professional career when he opened the letter  (Image: Nigel Heath)

They accidentally took the key with them after their stay at the hotel, with their new baby, fifty years ago, in February 1974.

Sam said: “ It was certainly a great surprise, but of course the key no longer fitted because the hotel underwent and extensive upgrade when it was taken over by the multi award winning Coaching Inn Group a couple of years ago.”

Andrew explained: "The key was last found in the back of a drawer of odds and ends a few months ago, and was quite well-travelled before it got there.

After we left Amesbury, it must have been dropped in the car or in a bag of baby things, and would have been with us back in Scotland, near Edinburgh, a few days later."

The Ontarian continued: "I am sure we said, ‘We must get that back to them - they'll need it!’, but were preoccupied with a fairly new baby and Linda's parents from New York whom we first met at the Aberdeen University cycling club in 1969.

"I am sure the key was relegated to a box over several moves in Scotland, and much later travelled with us to Montreal, with the same good intention to return it each time it resurfaced."

He said: "It may even have spent a year in Texas, but I am not sure of that!"

Andrew and Linda's daughter, Anna Leavey, was a baby when they 'stole' the key (Image: Nigel Heath) Following their move in 1987 to Cambridge, Ontario, the key hibernated in a drawer until the couple unearthed it decades later and took to the internet to track down the hotel.

Andrew believes, along with the find, it might be time for the Canadian couple to return Salisbury.

 He said: "We have not been in the south for a long time, but now we are thinking that it may be time to refresh a rather special memory of Amesbury next Spring, when we'll be back to visit family and friends."