Ancient ‘demise masks’ of ‘treacherous Brit’ discovered behind wall of Costa Coffee
An ancient death mask of a British Baron has been discovered behind the walls of a now-closed branch of Costa Coffee.
The strange find was discovered inside the Worcester High Street branch of the famous high street coffee chain – which used to be a Golden Lion pub. Having been closed for more than a year, works was taking place inside it, when a rare English Civil War-era death mask was found.
It is thought that it belonged to William Guise, who was directly involved in the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Work is now taking place to save the mask and place it in a museum – although removing it from inside the wall might prove tricky.
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(Image: BoWSociety/X)
According to several historical records, Guise was working as a local tailor who turned against, and betrayed, royalists. He ended up helping the infamous Oliver Cromwell in taking Worcester . . . but was later hanged for treachery. A replica mask is also inside the building, but that has a plaque beside it to explain what it’s there for.
Daniel Daniels, chairman of the Battle of Worcester Society said: “The owner and the managing agent have been very helpful in assisting us with the move and in our discussions. We have also engaged the services of a stonemason with regard to the best way to remove the masks to ensure their continued preservation for future generations. We are looking at various locations for the masks including the Commandery.”
(Image: Google Maps)
And a Worcester City Council spokesperson said: “We are working with the Battle of Worcester Society and the building owner on a solution to see if the original and the copy masks can be moved from their current locations without being damaged. Removal and relocation of the masks will require Listed Building Consent.
“If both masks can be safely moved then the masks would be relocated to a more prominent location, where the public can view them more easily and better understand their historical significance.”
And for those wondering . . . the Costa Coffee branch and its staff were relocated to a new location nearby.
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