Couple snap up dream home for £405,000 – but nothing can prepare them for what’s buried underneath flooring
A couple renovating a 900-year-old church into a dream home were horrified when they discovered 83 skeletons buried underneath.
When Lucy, 53, and Rhys Thomas, 45, saw the historic, Grade I listed St Peter’s Church in Peterstone Wentlooge, Wales, on sale, they decided to snap it up at auction for £405,000.
They were warned there might be ‘five or six’ bodies that may emerge as historically influential or rich people were buried inside the religious building.
But the pair were left ‘shocked’ when they dug up the flooring and ‘body after body’ appeared.
‘We needed to have an archeologist present when we started digging up the floor,’ Lucy explained.
‘They said to me, because we were digging down 40 centimeters, we were inevitably going to find a body somewhere as in the past often influential, religious or rich people in the community would be buried within the floors of the church.
‘We didn’t know this, so we were a bit apprehensive – but they said we would only find about five or six bodies, when they started digging, it became apparent there was a lot more than we first envisioned.’
When the couple were first looking into the property, the listing said it was a five-bedroom house – and they assumed the work had already been done on the church, which was founded in 1142.
When Lucy, 53, and Rhys Thomas, 45, saw the historic, Grade I listed St Peter’s Church in Peterstone Wentlooge, Wales, on sale, they decided to snag it up at auction for £405,000
For the first 18 months they were only able to ‘chip away’ at the property because they were waiting for planning permission from the council
The pair were left ‘shocked’ when they dug up the flooring and ‘body after body’ appeared under the church
However, they were stunned, at the viewing, to discover that it would need a complete overhaul.
While Lucy said the first few bodies were admittedly ‘uncomfortable’, they ‘gradually warmed to the process’.
‘People were buried together,’ she continued. ‘Husbands and wives, parents with children, so we decided to leave them in their final resting places and continue the build around them.’
The mother of five explained that out of respect for the dead, they decided to leave the bodies there – and then re-laid a new floor on top of them ‘along with underfloor heating’.
She also described the four-year project, which they have only just finished after buying it back in 2021, as a ‘huge battle and accomplishment’.
The Welsh family bought the church, which was listed on Rightmove, just after the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘We were surprised to find that it was still a church,’ she recalled. ‘When we finally got to see inside it, it was apparent the work hadn’t been done – we thought we were viewing a five-bed house!
Join the debate
Should historic graves be left undisturbed when converting old churches into homes?
The mother of five explained that out of respect for the dead, they decided to leave the bodies there – and then re-laid a new floor on top of them ‘along with underfloor heating’
She also described the four-year project, which they have only just finished after buying the church back in 2021, as a ‘huge battle and accomplishment’
The Welsh family bought the church, which was listed on Rightmove, just after the Covid-19 pandemic
‘We’d gone with no intention of doing a lot of work – let alone converting the whole church’
‘Planning was in place for a change of use to a residential dwelling. We’d gone with no intention of doing a lot of work – let alone converting the whole church.
‘But by then it was too late and we had both fallen hook, line, and sinker for the building and its charms.’
For the first 18 months they were only able to ‘chip away’ at the property because they were waiting for planning permission from the council.
‘It was a bit of a challenging job,’ Rhys admitted. ‘We just learnt as we went along. We spent lots of time googling and joining listed building groups.’
The pair had removed the 100-year-old floor themselves and the stonemason laid it outside the property as a patio – with all the original engravings maintained.
The once-dilapidated church is now a breathtaking six-bedroom, six-bathroom property that is currently listed on Airbnb
Despite keeping all of the original church features, the family have added in modern touches – such as secondary glazing on the windows
The couple have now finished their refurbishment project and it is now listed on Airbnb, featuring modern furnishings
There is also now underfloor heating, a snooker table, grand piano, bar area and a large hot tub in the church
The bedrooms are also now done up, and show off the couple’s hard work in preserving the old while also bringing it into the modern era
There is even a sleek, new bathroom, which incorporates features from the traditional older building
A local builder was contracted to lead the conversion that’s anchored around a mezzanine flitch frame – a mix of metal and wood.
Lucy explained this enabled them to maintain a lot of the church’s original features.
‘We also have a bell tower and bell ringers to maintain them – but we had to repair the bells and install new ropes to ring the eight bells!’ she added. ‘It’s been a bit of a challenge – but we’ve got there eventually.’
Despite keeping all of the original church features, the family have added in modern touches – such as secondary glazing on the windows and underfloor heating, a snooker table, grand piano, bar area and a large hot tub.
The once-dilapidated church is now a breathtaking six-bedroom, six-bathroom property that is currently listed on Airbnb.
Lucy added: ‘We are very proud of this and everyone has helped – our children, the architects, and the builders and of course my husband, Rhys, who has been in charge of all the finances and paperwork!
‘We have put our hearts and souls into this – and would do it again in a heartbeat.’
