Lucy and Rhys Thomas discovered more than 80 human skeletons buried within the floors of the 900-year-old church they renovated into a home in Peterstone Wentlooge, Wales
“We decided to leave them in their final resting places and continue the build around them,” said Lucy, a mom of five
The converted home was formerly a medieval church
Some people have a figurative skeleton in their closet. For one U.K. couple, they have many literal skeletons under their newly renovated home.
While transforming a 900-year-old medieval church into their dream home, Lucy and Rhys Thomas found more than 80 human remains “buried within the floors of the church” in Peterstone Wentlooge, Wales, the mom of five told British newspaper Metro of the shocking discovery.
“[An archaeologist] 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,” said Lucy, 53, adding that she learned that “influential, religious or rich people” were often buried under churches in the past.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
She continued to Metro, “The first few were uncomfortable but we gradually warmed to the process. 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.”
The Grade I-listed St. Peters Church, founded in 1142, took the couple four years to convert into a home, according to the outlet, while keeping many original features such as the church walls, tower and bells.
They also took engravings on the stone floor and used it for a patio.
Metro noted that modern updates to the home include underfloor heating to cover the bodies, a bar area and a hot tub.
“It was a bit of a challenging job – we just learnt as we went along,” Rhys, 45, told the outlet. “We spent lots of time googling.”
