A crusty, but not moldy, sandwich was recently found inside a UK church organ.

The bread was apparently left inside during a lunch break when the instrument was assembled 118 years ago. The sandwich was wrapped in an 1896 newspaper clipping from the Stockport Advertiser.

The organ was manufactured in 1896 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It was originally used by the Claremont Methodist Church in Gannow, and was brought along when the church merged with Jubilee Methodist Church to form Padiham Road Methodist in Burnley, Lancashire.

Padiham recently sold the organ as part of the church's reconstruction plans, and the instrument was disassembled to be sold for parts. It was then that the over century-old sandwich was found.

Peter Yates' wife, Kath, played the organ at Padiham for over 30 years. He was amazed by the finding, and the surprisingly good condition of the sandwich.

"The bread has been perfectly preserved," he told UK's Express.

"It must have been the remains of a lunch for the organ-fitters who I imagine sat down for a butty break. I can just picture them sat reading the paper with their sandwich and perhaps a large hunk of cheese.

"[The sandwich was] found in the swell box of the organ when we took the inner layer out. It was full of wooden shavings which gave out a beautiful smell of pine alongside this wonderful snapshot of history."

The organ's parts were sold on eBay for £1,700, but Yates reported the church will hold on to the Stockport clipping.

"The organ was a wonderful piece of workmanship and it will be missed but we have to move on," the church property steward said.

"We hope to display the newspaper cuttings but we suspect that the bread will perish now its been removed from inside the organ."