Maidstone: Ancient crypt discovered beneath high street vape shop

The crypt is believed to have housed corpses and coffins

An ancient crypt has been discovered beneath a vape shop in Kent.

The chamber, believed to date back to the 14th century, is thought to have housed corpses and coffins underneath a priory that researchers say once stood in Maidstone High Street in 1331.

The crypt is only accessible via a trap door within e-cigarette store Evapo.

Store manager Sam Jessop said he unearthed the stone chamber after venturing to the basement of the shop to take a gas reading.

The crypt is only accessible via a trap door within e-cigarette store Evapo in Maidstone High Street

"You wouldn't expect to have something of this architecture for something that would normally be a cellar," he said.

"You would've thought you'd just walked into a church."

He added: "How could this possibly still have been here without anyone really, truly knowing the significance to the local community?"

History researcher Simon White believes the crypt may have been an Franciscan priory

History researcher Simon White said the "spooky and atmospheric" crypt was a great surprise.

"For people coming to Maidstone, it'd be nice if they realised the great history we have here - and that most of it is buried under the streets," he said,

Mr White is encouraging anyone with information about Maidstone's history to come forward, in an attempt to unlock the town's cryptic past.

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