A woman has shared a video of the moment she discovered a hidden door in a house she was renovating – and ended up being baffled when she saw what was lurking inside
Old properties can conceal extraordinary secrets within their walls, but one woman renovating her home discovered something truly unexpected when she stumbled upon a hidden door. Anyone who’s purchased an older property or assisted with renovation work will have encountered all manner of peculiar discoveries.
From stunning tiled floors concealed beneath carpeting to mysterious messages left by previous occupants tucked into wall cavities or beneath floorboards, historic homes are full of surprises. However, one Instagram user claimed to have found the “weirdest thing” during her renovation project after discovering a door she never knew was there.
Painted the same white colour as the surrounding walls, the door was virtually invisible, with only a tiny hinge serving as the sole clue it wasn’t simply part of the wall.
The clip, shared by the SoPo Cottage account, captured the woman’s attempts to force the door open. She explained she was struggling because it clearly hadn’t been accessed in years, leaving it firmly stuck.
Using a small crowbar-type implement to lever open the stubborn door, the woman eventually managed to wrench it free – and was absolutely stunned by what lay beyond. When the door swung open, it uncovered a narrow cabinet containing several shelves.
Whilst most stood empty, two were stocked with ancient tins and bottles that appeared to have remained untouched for decades.
As she lifted them to examine the peculiar containers, the woman made another startling discovery – they were predominantly remedies designed to ease constipation symptoms.
She initially inspected a bottle of castor oil, followed by an enigmatic “elixir” marketed as a laxative. Yet when she studied one of the tins, she managed to roughly date the collection, discovering a “clinical trial supply” of Senokot, now a well-known constipation laxative brand.
Senokot first appeared in the early 1950s as a chocolate-flavoured granule, suggesting that clinical trial supplies of the laxative may have been distributed in the 1940s, placing the cupboard’s age between 70 and 80 years.
The woman declared: “This must be from when the house was first built. This must be from the 40s or 50s for Senokot. It’s the constipation closet! What a scream! I love it.”
Whilst Senokot launched in the early 1950s, it remains a UK brand, and it’s unclear precisely when the product reached locations such as North America, where the woman in the Instagram video resides.
A clinical study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 1963 explored the use of Senokot among nursing mothers to evaluate its potential negative impact on infant bowel habits.
Hence, it’s plausible that the previous owner of the house was part of this trial and acquired the Senokot tin in this way.
However, the woman who posted on Instagram primarily refurbishes homes in Maine, US, not in Canada. She hasn’t provided her followers with any additional details about the mysterious cupboard, so regrettably, we may never uncover the truth behind the peculiar collection of constipation relief products.
