Nine secret crypts discovered hidden beneath Coventry's bombed cathedral

Nine secret crypts have been uncovered under the ruins of Coventry's bombed cathedral by restoration workers.
Two crypts had already been discovered in the former cemetery grounds of St Michael's Church when it was cleared to make way for the new cathedral building.
But a further nine ancient graves have been revealed after maintenance work began when a crack appeared in part of the 14th Century ruins in September 2011.

Discovery: Nine crypts have been uncovered underneath the ruins of St Michael's Church in Coventry which was reduced to rubble during World War Two

Ongoing project: Restorations workers made the discovery while conducting maintenance on the ruins which began after a crack appeared in September 2011

It is believed the crypts may date back to the 1350s and were used as burial places for Coventry's nobility. Some contained human bones.

 

Dr Jonathan Foyle, chief executive of the World Monuments Fund Britain, which is handling the work, described the find as significant.
He told the BBC the discovering was like finding a 'subterranean wonderland'.
Dr Foyle added he is hopeful that the crypts can be opened to the public after they have been cleared of rubble and checked for damp. 

Kept secret: It is believed the crypts date back to the 1350s when the original church was constructed

Destroyed: A new cathedral was built among the ruins of the first St Michael's Church which was almost completely destroyed by German bombs on November 14, 1940

He said: 'It's where Coventry's medieval burial grounds were - and at that time it was the fourth greatest city in England in the 14th Century.
'These spaces would have been created to to provide a fitting burial for the many thousands of people who contributed to the rise of this city at its peak.'
Campaigners are fundraising to restore more of the cathedral after more than £350,000 was spent on repairs to the cathedral ruins in 2010.
The ruins were placed on the World Monuments Fund's Watch List, a catalogue of cultural heritage sites around the globe which are in danger, in October 2011 shortly after the crack appeared. 

HOW ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH WAS BOMBED TO DESTRUCTION

St Michael's Church was largely constructed between the late 14th century and early 15th century.
The church was given cathedral status in 1918 but later almost entirely destroyed during the blitz on November 14,1940, by the German Luftwaffe.

Only the tower, spire, the outer wall and the bronze effigy and tomb of its first bishop, Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman-Biggs, survived the bombing blitz.
The spire rises to 295 ft and is the tallest structure in the city. It is also the third tallest cathedral spire in England, with only Salisbury and Norwich cathedrals rising higher.
The ruins of this older cathedral remain hallowed ground and are listed at Grade I.
The new St Michael's Cathedral was built alongside the ruins from a design by Basil Spence, whose plan was selected in a competition from over 200 entrants.
Spence (later knighted for this work) insisted that instead of re-building the old cathedral it should be kept in ruins as a garden of remembrance and that the new cathedral should be built alongside, the two buildings together effectively forming one church.
The use of Hollington sandstone for the new Coventry Cathedral provides an element of unity between the buildings.
The foundation stone of the new cathedral was laid by the Queen in 1956, and building was finished in 1962.