BUILDERS restoring a church in Gidleigh have stumbled across a long lost crypt during routine excavations.

Character Builders South West had been carrying out repairs in the chancel of the Church of the Holy Trinity when they came across the crypt.

Sam Diffey, one of the builders who made the discovery, said: 'It was quite a shock to dig through to the crypt. We were prising up a stone to level off the floor and earth just fell through into the void below. We are looking forward to finding out more about it.'

Architects Van Der Steen Hall and archaeologists were called in to investigate the find. The crypt contains the coffin of a former vicar of the church, the Rev Aurthur Whipman and another coffin of an unknown child. The Rev Whipman lived from July 6 1810 to November 18 1882.

Local historian Michael Hardy, who has co-written a book on Gidleigh's history, lives next door to the church. He has been looking into the history of the church and the crypt since its discovery.

He said: 'Crypts such as this were fairly common in churches, but they were closed up in the 19th century for health and safety reasons, to prevent the spread of disease. Martin Fletcher, a diocesan archaeologist who came to look at the church, mentioned a similar crypt in Bishopsteignton.

'It looks pretty clear that the crypt was made at the same time as the present building.

'The walls of the crypt line up with the walls above. There were stairs from the nave. Everything points to construction all at one time.

'I would guess the crypt would have been closed after 1882 and before 1916 when Guy Whipman died and was buried in the churchyard. The new rectory was built in the 1890s and the vestry looks like it was added at the same time. I would say the crypt was closed in the 1890s.'

While carrying out their works, builders also found a child's grave under the altar of the church.