A couple were left stunned when they found a medieval gargoyle imp hidden above the toilet in their bathroom.
Tracy and Rory Vorster discovered the stone-carved sprite behind their porcelain plumbing fixture, concealed under a wooden panel below the window.
Mr. Vorster, 41, a cyber security worker, had been cleaning the toilet when he made the “grotesque” discovery.
The couple took to social media for answers after removing the shelf above the toilet in their Grade-I listed home on Sunday, April 14.
Experts at Lincoln Cathedral believe the ghoulish figure forms part of a historical drainage system dating back to the 14th century.
“I couldn’t believe it. I shouted up to my wife and said ‘I’ve found a thing,'“ the dad of three said. “The whole of the house has kind of a hollow walling, so we immediately thought there could be more, in fact, we’re almost certain now.”
The previous occupant had lived there for over 20 years, he added, so they probably knew it was there, though the couple had absolutely no clue until they made the discovery.
They only moved into the 700-year-old home on March 1 but had lived a few doors down in another home, which Ms. Vorster says is “haunted.”
“I think the funniest part of it was that I was so moody with Rory and said ‘Please can you go clean the bathroom,’” Ms. Vorster, 40, a salon owner, said.
“It all came about from our spat about not cleaning the bathroom. Had it not been for him, he wouldn’t have found it. I thought it was a shelf.
“I thought it was really interesting, and I asked on a group on Facebook.”
The cathedral has the imp logged as part of a drainage system, she added, though she’s not entirely sure why the previous residents decided to cover it up.
“It was well documented, but not that many people around here know it,” she said. “It’s been documented to the 14th century.
“It would have been for a vicar. A lot of people implied a cult, but I thought it was like a kitchen sink.”
Their home on Vicars Court is owned by Lincoln Cathedral and is believed to be the home of a former vicar.
A record, “A Survey of Ancient Houses in Lincoln vol II: Houses to the South and West of the Minster in 1887,” first documents the carving as a “grotesque mask which forms the drain.”
“We lived in number 4 before and didn’t find anything interesting there. We live down the road,“ Ms. Vorster said. ”We moved here a month and a half ago, which is why we didn’t explore that window sill.
“We have 12 rooms, it’s quite a large house.
“Because we don’t own the house we can’t just pull down the wall.”
For now, Ms. Vorster plans just to enjoy it “because of how interesting it is,” adding that she also wants to touch it up.
“Number 4 was definitely haunted, that’s why we ended up leaving,“ she said. ”I haven’t seen it in this house. I had a lot of strange dreams there.
“It makes it even more special. The house is so interesting, so I was almost expecting it, to be honest.”
