Couple renovating new home made haunting discovery when they dug up floorboards

A couple renovating a 900-year-old church in Wales made a haunting discovery when they dug up the floorboards.

Lucy, 53, and Rhys Thomas, 45, purchased the Grade I listed St Peters Church at Peterstone Wentlooge at auction for £405,000 back in 2021.

The duo thought they bought what was being marketed as a five bedroom home - but 'when we finally got to see inside it, it was apparent the work hadn’t been done'.

"We'd gone with no intention of doing a lot of work - let alone converting the whole church," Lucy said.

''But by then it was too late and we had both fallen hook, line, and sinker for the building and its charms.''

All that said, they were warned in advance that there might be 'five or six' bodies under the floor because once upon a time influential people used to get buried inside churches.

Lucy, 53, and Rhys Thomas, 45, purchased a 900-year-old church, thinking that it was ready to move in (SWNS)

But both Rhys and Lucy were stunned to find a whopping 83 bodies when they dug up the floor and eventually made the decision to leave the bodies there.

The mum-of-five said to respect the dead, they re-laid a new floor on top of them 'along with underfloor heating'.

"The first few were uncomfortable but we gradually warmed to the process," she admitted.

"People were buried together - husbands and wives, parents with children, so we decided to leave them in their final resting places and continue the build around them."

They didn't expect to find 83 dead bodies under the floorboards (SWNS)

Instead, the pair removed the 100-year-old floor and the stonemason laid it outside the property as a patio with all of the original markings.

A local builder was then brought in to lead the conversion that's centred around a mezzanine flitch frame - a mix of metal and wood frame.

Lucy explained this enabled them to keep a lot of the church's original features.

The couple are renting out the property as an Airbnb (SWNS)

Amid the maintenance, the family have also added in more modern luxuries like a snooker table, a grand piano, a bar area and a large hot tub.

The six-bedroom, six-bathroom property is currently listed on Airbnb.

The property has six bedrooms and six bathrooms (SWNS)

Rhys said: "It was a bit of a challenging job - we just learnt as we went along.

"We spent lots of time googling and joining listed building groups."

They tried to keep as many of the original features as possible (SWNS)

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.''