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Secret crypt beneath vape shop leads to 700-year-old network of tunnels

A simple request for a gas meter reading has led to the discovery of a historic crypt beneath a vape shop.

A trapdoor at the store in Kent led to the discovery (Picture: Simon White/Ferrari Press Agency)© Provided by Metro

Sam Jessop, 40, had no clue what lay under his e-cigarette store Evapo in the High Street of Maidstone, Kent.

The shop manager had been asked to venture through a trapdoor in the back of the shop, which led to its basement, to take a gas reading.

He was shocked to discover a vast long-forgotten stone chamber, which is believed to date back to the early 14th centry.

The find has unlocked a hidden world of underground tunnels and vaults beneath an historic market town.

With vaulted ceilings and walls crafted from Kentish ragstone – a type of hard, grey limestone – it was evident the cellar had once been part of an abbey.

Sam, from Maidstone, said: ‘I started in this job five-years-ago and the basement was only accessed when they needed to get to the gas meter for readings.

‘I decided to have a look round because I was curious and what I found down there was a bit of a shock. 

Sam has worked at Evapo for five years (Picture: Sam Jessop/Ferrari Press Agency)© Provided by Metro

 

But he never realised what lay beneath his feet (Picture: Sam Jessop/Ferrari Press Agency)© Provided by Metro

‘It was like walking into a church. It’s very well crafted – it’s not just a needs-must build – there’s some real stone-masonry work, with great attention to detail.’

After getting over his initial shock at finding what may be the remains of a monastery, Sam took a closer look at the basement and noticed an array of curious adaptations made over the years.

‘It was like walking into a church. It’s very well crafted – it’s not just a needs-must build – there’s some real stone-masonry work, with great attention to detail.’

After getting over his initial shock at finding what may be the remains of a monastery, Sam took a closer look at the basement and noticed an array of curious adaptations made over the years.

He said: ‘It’s a real hodgepodge of different periods. There’s stuff from the 1600s to 1700s, and then modern parts that have been added later on.

‘For example, the ceilings are only four feet high, which is a lot shorter than other buildings of the same period, so I think the floor has been raised at some point, and it had drainage added in around 50 or 60 years ago.

‘There’s also electrical cables down there, an old oil radiator, a big iron ring mounted in the ceiling, a fireplace, and what looks like some sort of grill.’

Amateur historian Simon White has been working with Sam to shed some light on the shop’s fascinating past.

Through studying local records, the 42-year-old unearthed evidence the cellar was part of a priory built in the early 1300s.

While the monastery was never lived in, the incredible crypt remained untouched. 

Records indicate a priory was set up in the area (Picture: Simon White/Ferrari Press Agency)© Provided by Metro

Simon said: ‘The history is so difficult to find so it’s an ongoing project, but if you look back at the records there’s mention of a priory being set up.

‘I believe it got Royal approval, but I don’t think it was ever established. It didn’t seem to get populated with monks.

‘According to my research, it was built in 1331. The good quality Kentish ragstone is also an indicator of its age.

‘If that’s confirmed, that means it’s older than the Archbishop’s Palace but very little is known about it.’

Simon believes the property was later used as a private house before becoming a shop with the arrival of commerce in Maidstone in the 15th century.

Astonishingly, Evapo isn’t the only shop in Maidstone with a mysterious stone chamber under its floorboards.

Through his research, former gardener Simon has also discovered vaults hidden beneath a nearby hairdressers, a barber shop, and an estate agent.

He believes these crypts, which have been likened to those beneath 11th century Durham Cathedral, would’ve been part of a wider network of basements and tunnels dating back nearly 700 years.

The historian said: “Lau Hairdresser’s opposite Evapo has some signs of bricked up tunnels and ragstone brickwork.

Sam has many theories as what the underground crypts may have been used for.

He said: ‘It could’ve been for nefarious purposes like smuggling or escape routes for gentry, but it may also have been used to dispose of bodies during the tuberculosis outbreak, as it would be somewhere where they couldn’t contaminate people.’