A FIRST glimpse of a 17th-Century hiding-hole used by Catholic priests escaping religious persecution has been revealed by university researchers.

The priest hole which was first discovered in the 1850s, hidden in a turret of the main gatehouse and concealed between the floor levels, is a key building in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

At the time it still had a rope ladder, some bedding and a portable altar.

Researchers from The University of Nottingham have used the new scanning technology to reveal a 3D scan of hiding hole with the plan to digitally reproduce its location in a computer model.

The 3D model aims to help experts visualise more clearly how the priest-hole has been hidden within the structure, and to allow visitors to explore this hidden space online even if they cannot physically access it.

The building survey and laser scanning was completed by University of Nottingham archaeologist, Dr Chris King together with Dr Lukasz Bonenberg and Dr Sean Ince (Nottingham Geospatial Institute) with the help of BA Archaeology students at the university.

Following the English Reformation, Catholics were forced to make difficult choices between their loyalty to the crown and to their faith.

As a result, wealthy Catholics cleverly redesigned their country homes to include secret spaces known as priest holes.

Ingeniously concealed in walls and under floors, these secreted chambers were built to hide Catholic clergymen to prevent them being found by Protestant Royal search parties and executed as traitors.

Dr King said: “At Coughton, the priest-hole is hidden away out of sight and the 3D model will really help visitors to understand where it fits inside the building.

“Many visitors can’t access the tower room where the secret space is located, so this digital model allows them to experience the building and its story in a whole new way.”

Dr Bonenberg said: "Digital visualisations of historic buildings are vital tools for helping the public to picture the past."

Coughton Court has been the home of the Throckmortons, one of England’s oldest Catholic families, since the 15th Century but is now owned by The National Trust.

Rebecca Farr, conservation and engagement manager for Coughton Court, said: “It’s very exciting for us to have the research team back at Coughton Court after the success of their first visit to scan the priest hole.

“The full site scan will present a whole new way of sharing the mansion’s architecture with our visitors, allowing them to visualise inaccessible spaces, and highlight the changing use of the Throckmorton’s family home in line with the country’s shifting political and religious landscape.”

The scan was recently completed with funding from The National Trust.

The researchers hope to secure further funding to investigate and find undiscovered priest holes at other historic locations.