Latest news with #ChristopherJones
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Indian Express
Bones, socks and a ‘chonker': British couple's Victorian home renovation turns into mystery dig
When Christopher Jones and Paloma Mills bought a 145-year-old Victorian house in the UK, they expected a few creaky floorboards and outdated plumbing—not an underground bone collection and a pair of vintage socks buried in concrete. Jones and Mills bought the three-bedroom home in August 2023 and began extensive renovations, turning the abandoned structure into their dream home. But while digging to install piping for an understairs toilet, they stumbled upon something unexpected. Jones told Newsweek that it wasn't just dirt and debris—'we came across a bone.' 'We were digging under the house to run some piping in for an understairs toilet. We discovered a chonker as our first bone,' Jones said. 'It was discovered behind a huge slab of concrete, together with a coin from the 1970s and a pair of socks,' he added. Their surprise only deepened as they uncovered more bones beneath the 1880-built structure. Some were found near a rat's nest, leading the couple to believe the remains were likely from animals. Among the smaller bones, they also found what looked like a jawbone and a pair of pantyhose. The influencer couple has been chronicling their home renovation journey on Instagram, and their bizarre discovery quickly caught the internet's attention. A video uploaded on April 15 shows Mills holding one of the bones, sparking a flurry of baffled and concerned comments. A post shared by Christopher Jones and Paloma Quinn Mills (@restoringnumberfour) One user wrote, 'Time to tell the police. That house is going to get a free concrete removal service and you'll be exempt from council tax for the next 6 months.' Another added, 'I'm not an archaeologist, and the pantyhose suggests it's human.' 'Stop touching if you think it is a crime scene,' a third commenter warned. The eerie find recalls another incident from 2022, when a couple in North Yorkshire discovered a hoard of 264 gold coins beneath their kitchen floor during renovations. The centuries-old stash was expected to fetch them £250,000 (Rs 2.3 crore), The Times reported.
NDTV
21-05-2025
- NDTV
This Couple Excavated A 145-Year-Old Home. What They Found Horrified Them
New Delhi: A millennial couple purchased a 145-year-old property in the United Kingdom and were petrified by what they discovered underneath it. In August 2023, Christopher Jones and Paloma Mills bought the three-bedroom Victorian home. After receiving the keys, they spent the last two years doing projects and remodelling the abandoned property to make it their ideal residence. However, they were taken aback by what they found during the excavation. Jones, 36, told Newsweek that it was not only dirt and rubble; they "came across a bone." "We were digging under the house to run some piping in for an understairs toilet. We discovered a chonker as our first bone," Jones explained. "It was discovered behind a huge slab of concrete, together with a coin from the 1970s and a pair of socks," he added. And it was not just one bone. The more they searched, the more bones the couple discovered beneath the 1880-built house. Given that some of the bones were discovered next to a rat's nest, Jones and Mills thought the bones were those of animals. Along with the small bones, the couple also found what looked like a jawbone and a pair of pantyhoses. The influencer couple has been sharing updates about the remodelling project on social media, and their startling find has received a lot of attention on Instagram. On April 15, a video of Mills holding the bone was uploaded to Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Christopher Jones and Paloma Quinn Mills (@restoringnumberfour) Several comments indicated that social media users were equally baffled by the bone discovery. One user commented, "Time to tell the police. That house is going to get a free concrete removal service and you'll be exempt from council tax for the next 6 months." Another user said, "I'm not an archaeologist, and the pantyhose suggests it's human." "Stop touching if you think it is a crime scene," another comment read. In 2022, another UK couple discovered gold while remodelling their home. They reportedly unearthed a staggering cache of 264 gold pieces beneath the kitchen floor, per The Times. The gold coin hoard was reportedly more than 400 years old. The North Yorkshire couple was expected to receive a staggering 250,000 pounds (Rs 2.3 crore) from those old coins.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'I used my back garden to help others after job loss'
A man who started growing food in his back garden to help people in need hopes to "inspire people to do the same".Christopher Jones began growing food after losing his job as a security guard at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020."I'd lost everything in lockdown. I had no jobs, I had nothing."I was struggling financially and I thought, well, I've got a big garden - I'll turn it into a bit of an allotment. "I was constantly studying on YouTube, I don't read books because I'm dyslexic but I can watch the video tutorials and learn from that." Mr Jones has since given his produce to people in Halton, Cheshire, via food banks, boxes set up on streets and through social media."In 2025, people shouldn't be going hungry and if an avid gardener could plant a couple of vegetables that would feed their family, but then any surplus could be donated to a food bank or a charity, then together we could make a massive difference."After years of being on a waiting list for an allotment, he was given one in 2024 and, following media coverage of his work, Halton Borough Council offered him another allotment so he could grow more for residents who were of the local community and others interested in his work have rallied to fundraise for the allotments and he is now hoping to buy more durable tools. He has set up a TikTok account called Mr Allotment to record his progress and maintain transparency and hopes it can inspire others."I've been asked to do things with schools, but at the minute because I'm doing everything on my own… it takes time away from me growing food for people in need."If a teacher wants to tune into my TikTok, ask questions, watch videos, watch the lives, they could learn and put it into fruition for themselves."Spending about 8-14 hours per day in the garden or allotments, he says he would "love to be able to do it as full-time but I've still got to work"."It's not an obsession - to me it is just like a general purpose."I just feel like if I'm able to help other people and if anyone's able to help other people, then they should try at least." Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
