The Bone Crypt at Holy Trinity Church, Rothwell, Northamptonshire
Entry £3 per adult
April to September
Every Sunday 2.30 to 4.30pm
(subject to special services)
October to March
Every second Sunday of the month
2.30 to 4.30pm
(subject to special services)
Please note that we are Holy Trinity Church in Northamptonshire and not the one in Leeds.
To book, please email Mick Coggins
mccoggins@googlemail.com
- There will be a £3 charge
- There will be four 25-minute slots commencing 2.30pm, 3pm, 3.30pm and 4pm
- Limited to six people (plus an ossuary steward); therefore if you do not book and turn up on spec there is no guarantee that you will be granted access
- Stairs are narrow and uneven therefore if you have mobility issues please be aware
- Suggest that you wear PPE masks whilst going down and up the stairs
- Large bags and equipment cannot be taken down into the crypt and must be left with the steward
- No dogs allowed in the crypt
- If there is an evacuation exits are either the main West entrance doors or there is a South side door further into the main body of the church.
Deep under the floor of the church, near the south door exists Holy Trinity’s crypt or Charnel House.
Local legend suggests that little was known about its existence until the day a hapless gravedigger fell into the crypt whilst working in the church many years ago. Falling some twelve feet through pitch darkness into a mass of bones was too much for the individual to bear, and it is reputed that he lost his mind through the incident, remaining that way until the day he died.
More latterly, the crypt has been reorganised such that the skulls are now displayed on shelves around the walls, and the thigh bones displayed in two large square piles in the centre. A favourite pastime of guides on Sunday afternoons is to enter the crypt in front of visitors so that they can witness the gasps of sheer amazement as visitors first enter!
The 13th century crypt contains the remains of around 2500 individuals
Theories about the bones Downloadable pdf link
Rediscovering The Bone Crypt Downloadable pdf link
mccoggins@googlemail.com
