A NEBUCHADNEZZAR champagne bottle given a second life as a time capsule was the most fitting of centrepieces for a milestone anniversary.

Langley Castle was marking its 30th year as a hotel and restaurant and American owner Dr Stuart Madnick, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, and his wife, Yvonne, had flown in specially to host a sparkling reception.

He said: “This castle was built in 1350 and for those of you who do the maths, you’ll find that was 666 years ago.

“But for those of you who have an ominous feeling about that, we did some further research and found that in China it is regarded as a lucky number, associated with things going smoothly, and we think that’s the more appropriate interpretation for Langley Castle.”

He admitted that when the couple bought the castle in 1985 – after a friend spotted a small advert in Country Life magazine – the heat had been taken out of the transaction by the fact the pound was very weak that year. “You think the pound is sliding now? Well, you should have seen it then,” he smiled.

However, the couple fell in love with the castle and its 7ft thick stone walls and have spent the past three decades overseeing its conversion into a four star hotel, complete with 27 bedrooms.

The time capsule has been filled with items given by both members of staff and hotel guests, in particular couples who have had their weddings at the hotel.

General manager Anton Phillips said he hadn’t been prepared for one of the donations. “One bride said ‘yes, I’ve got just the thing for you’ and proceeded to remove her garter right there and then,” he said.

Long service awards were also part of Monday’s reception, with deputy manager Elaine Robinson, celebrating 30 years with the hotel, and Anton himself, marking 25 years.