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28 March 2024

Kid breaks 800-year-old coffin at museum

Published
By Bang

An 800-year-old coffin was damaged after a child was allowed to climb inside it by her parents

Staff at Prittlewell Priory Museum in Southend, Essex, were left "shocked" after the parents' of the kid let them stand inside the ancient sarcophagus and watched on CCTV as bits of it crumbled to pieces.

The stone dates back to 1921 and was complete with a skeleton.

Conservator Claire Reed has been tasked with fixing it.

She told the BBC: "Staff heard a thump and that was the first indication something had happened.

"It was one of those isolated, terrible incidents.

"It's a very important artefact and historically unique to us as we don't have much archaeology from the priory."