December 20, 2016, by Lindsay Brooke

20 December 2016 – what’s the story behind door number 20?

Scans locate historic secret room in walls of Gunpowder plot house.

In November researchers exposed an erie secret concealed inside a key building in the Gunpowder Plot house of 1605. They used the latest scanning technology to reveal in 3D a hiding-hole used by 17th-Century Catholic priests escaping religious persecution.

Rebecca Farr, Conservation and Engagement Manager for Coughton Court, National Trust, said: “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 building survey and laser scanning was completed by University of Nottingham archaeologist, Dr Chris King together with Dr Lukasz Bonenberg and Dr Sean Ince  from the Nottingham Geospatial Institute with the help of BA Archaeology students at the University.

Who opened the door?

Our thanks to Professor Gabriele Neher, an expert in art history, for opening door number 20 of our digital advent calendar and review of 2016.

You can find out more about the digital advent calendar here.

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