The brick seat, built at the Dicker Recreation Ground in 1937, had over the years become buried under bushes.

The Safety and Environment Group of Upper Dicker (SEG) took the decision to try and save this piece of the village's history and began to hack back at the undergrowth.

And after two hours' solid work they freed the bench completely and discovered its plaque had survived intact.

The bench had been donated to the village by Richard Beresford Wright of Michelham Priory to commemorate the 1937 coronation of King George VI.

Bob Wilkinson, of SEG, said, "We'd heard stories about it in the village.

"It was known to us as the 'Bottomley Bench' but how that came about I'm not too sure.

"We have meetings every couple of months to see what we can do for the village and decided to try and rescue the bench."

Members of SEG started by clearing the undergrowth which surrounded and covered the seat. They cleared many bags of greenery and soil and uncovered the commemorative plaque, dating the seat to 1937.

The bench is actually double-sided but its opposite side is now buried beneath the pavement due to the rise in the level of Coldharbour Lane but SEG says that which remains above ground can be saved.

The group is now keen to get the bench's brickwork reset and repointed.

n Can you or your business sponsor the restoration by donating money or the necessary skills to complete the project? This will involve the resetting of saved masonry and repointing where necessary. SEG is looking for a benefactor for this work and the expertise to carry it out. For more information contact Margaret Coward on 842208.