A MYSTERY letter that arrived 89 years after it was posted has been delivered to the daughter of its owner.

Stella Pontin, 85, said she was delighted to receive the letter, which is addressed to her father Percival Bateman and dated November 29, 1919.

Guesthouse owner Jane Barrett could not believe her eyes when the old fashioned item, dropped through the letterbox at Basil Towers in Weymouth.

She appealed for its owner to come forward through the Dorset Echo and a surprised Mrs Pontin responded.

Mrs Pontin, of Portland Road, Wyke Regis, Weymouth, said: “It’s definitely a nice bit of history.

“My daughter Helen is coming to visit and she’s excited about seeing it.

“We’re going to decide what to do with it. I was thinking about putting it in an album with some photographs.”

The letter which is addressed to Mr Bateman at 22 Abbotsbury Road, where Mrs Barrett’s guesthouse is now situated, includes an RSVP from someone called Buffy, thanking Mr Bateman for his invitation and saying she would be delighted to join him on December 26.

The package also included a compliments’ card bearing the name of Grace Emmie Stewart – Mrs Pontin’s mother.

It arrived at the guesthouse last December in a plastic bag from Royal Mail and a note which apologised for any delay and damage to the item while it was in the firm’s care.

Mrs Pontin, who has lived in Weymouth since 1956, said: “It’s lovely to have them.”

Mrs Barrett said it was ‘certainly nice’ to be able to finally deliver the letter.

She said since the first article had appeared in the Dorset Echo she had also had a letter from a man in London who had sent her a picture of Buffy and other cards written by Mrs Pontin’s mother to Buffy.

Mrs Barrett said: “It’s very interesting to find out a bit about the history of my guesthouse. It was Mrs Pontin’s grandparents who used to live here and they ended their days in Cromwell Road.

“Mrs Pontin is a lovely lady and we spent a while talking about it all. We’re both amazed at how it came about.

“It’s a very special story.”