A CHURCH gutted by fire and repeatedly targeted by thieves has had a longed-for stroke of luck.

St Mary's church in Sheering was hit by a massive electrical fire almost a year ago, which left the building unusable.

A few days later, thieves forced their way into a secure room, stealing lawn mowers worth more than £600, and the church has seen two more burglaries over the past year.

But while the restoration work was taking place this week, vibrant, perfectly preserved artwork thought to date from the 1300s was uncovered.

Vicar Stewart Gibbs said: “This piece of plaster fell off while they were tapping the walls and it was revealed.

“There was the top of an arch painted in very fine detail, looking very fresh.

“It's great. We thought it might be Victorian, but experts have come in and the latest is that they're Medieval paintings.

“Just before the First World War, they had some big redecorations done and they were covered up or painted over at that time.”

He said he hoped the paintings, which include false arches, doorways and lions, would provide a link with the church's past, as furniture from the same period was stolen.

“The issue now is to see how much there is of it. It looks like there's quite a lot.”

Villagers have raised about half of the £150,000 needed to repair the church with fundraising events including concerts and a visit from June Brown, who plays Dot Branning in EastEnders.

“The village has got behind everything and we've had contacts from various people who have been very concerned about the church,” he said.

“Hopefully, we can make the church a wonderful community space, even better than before, after all this.”

The congregation has been meeting in the small room beside the church while the restorations have been taking place and the Rev Gibbs said the church building was due to reopen in the summer.