EACH Victorian tile on the floor of the medieval undercroft at Norton Priory is being painstakingly removed by archaeologists.

It is part of a £3.7 million conservation project to restore the 12th century priory to its former glory.

Senior keeper Lynn Smith said: “The effect will be extraordinary.

“The undercroft is unique in that it shows 900 years of history within the building’s fabric.”

A ‘buy a tile’ campaign has been launched to ensure that the restoration work can be completed.

For £10, Halton residents can save an original tile to be conserved and relaid or for a replica tile to be made if it is beyond repair.

Working with such ancient materials poses many challenges.

Will Walker of Earthworks Archaeology said: ‘It’s a bit like a giant jigsaw. “Each tile has to be numbered and its location marked on to a plan so that once the stabilisation works have been completed, the tiles can all be replaced from the exact location from which they were taken.”

Water ingress and a rising water table has meant that the floor has sunk in places and the tiles themselves have in places cracked and come loose.

The conservation work also includes the repointing of much of the undercroft’s stonework, further protecting the medieval, Georgian and Victorian features inside.

The Monastery to Museum project will create a new interactive exhibition space to interpret the site’s 900-year history.

Heritage Lottery funding and a £20,000 grant from the Pilgrim trust is contributing towards the redevelopment.

The museum is now appealing for support from the public to meet the shortfall.

Anyone wishing to buy a tile can have their name included in a permanent dedications panel to be displayed within the undercroft when it reopens in 2016.

For more details and to donate online, visit nortonpriory.org