Top image: London could potentially be the site of a secret Grail crypt. And when the river is drained in Hounslow, the world may well celebrate that the holiest of holies has finally been found!

An amateur archaeologist in England claims the Holy Grail is buried in a secret “Grail crypt” under a river in Hounslow, London. And an environment agency plans to drain the river to find out if the “Grail crypt” actually exists. Yup, this is actually happening!

The first known mention of a “Grail” (“un graal”) was written in the late 12th century AD by a Dan Brownesque writer of French romance. His name was Chrétien de Troyes, and his “famous” book is called the Conte del Graal ( Story of the Grail ) or “ Perceval.” At that time, the grail was described as the container of the sacred body and blood of Christ, but it was “a stone.” However, after centuries of mythologists warping the nature of this legendary stone, today, it is most often incorrectly described as a cup or chalice.

This relatively modern idea, of a holy cup that Christ drank from at the Last Supper, and or, Joseph of Arimathea used to collect his blood at the crucifixion, is often embroiled with stories of the Knights Templar. But it should be known that not a single 12th century AD Templar inventory from the Holy Land listed any such relic.

Now an amateur archaeologist believes he has found the last resting place of the Holy Grail in a hidden Grail crypt beneath a river in the London borough of Hounslow. And he has convinced the city’s Environmental Agency to drain the river to recover this holiest of Christian artifacts.

A section of the Thames River running through the west end borough of Hounslow where an amateur archaeologist has convinced the government to drain the river to finally locate the secret Grail crypt.

The Secret Grail Crypt And The Theory Behind It

Amateur archaeologist Barrie-Jon Bower, 40, is convinced the Holy Grail is the cup Jesus Christ drank from at the Last Supper and that the sacred artifact was hidden beneath a river in West London. It should be said at this early stage that this particular story is “not” emanating from the pages of an academic journal, or from the news section of Live Science . It was published by the UK daily The Sun . Showing a picture of “how the Holy grail might have looked,” the article features a medieval cup, not a stone. In fact, there is no mention of a stone, anywhere, so make of that what you will.

Also, not in any way concerned that they are perhaps looking for a modern fictionalized version of a medieval device of literature, the local Environment Agency actually plans to divert the river so that the bed can be “surveyed with specialist equipment,” according to The Sun. And after this treasure hunt reveals the “lost goblet of Christ,” Bower thinks “it’s going to be one of the greatest finds in history - the biggest discovery of mankind.” Not a claim that could be described as “humble,” considering many men, and women, have discovered some pretty awesome relics over the last two hundred years. However, on with the story.

Mr Bower is “convinced” that the medieval order of monastic warriors, the Knights Templar , returned from the crusades in the Holy Land with sacred relics, including the “cup of Christ,” which was actually a stone, and hid the hoard of treasures beneath the West London river.

However, approximately 99.9% of historians agree that not a single shred of historical evidence links the Templars to any such search for any Holy Grail. Yet many modern writers have elaborated on this theory connecting it with various conspiracy theories. So where did the Templar Grail narrative originate?

The Knights Templar are connected with the Holy Grail in fiction and elsewhere, but little evidence exists that they hid this sacred object in a Grail crypt in London or anywhere else.

In Juliette Wood´s 2012 paper, The Holy Grail: History and Legend , we learn that in 1818 AD Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, the Austrian pseudohistorical writer, was the first to connect the “grail” with the Knights Templar. But even in the early 19th century AD the “grail” was a reference to the actual Order of Templars, as a secret society dedicated to the preservation of relics, who sought mystical knowledge, with not a mention of a cup. Nevertheless, Mr Bower has told the Environmental Agency that the riverbed “feels hollow,” and that “there’s something underneath” it. And adding further layers of questionable evidence to his claim he posits a question that is difficult to answer: “Why not Hounslow?”

Is London’s Secret Grail Crypt A Possibility?

Mr Bower showed the Sun reporter the precise place on the river where he thinks the Grail crypt is hidden. And he is pretty sure other relics recovered by the Templars in the Holy Lands will be found in the same crypt. He told The Sun, “Finally I am certain this is the right spot. I am certain there will be a vault beneath the surface, with the Grail inside and other treasures from the Crusades.”

Having invested £1,000 ($1300) of his own cash to hire “specialist geophysical equipment,” Mr Bower now plans to drain and scour the river early next year. And theorizing on why nobody has ever found this secret treasure chamber beneath the river, the researcher thinks the Duke of Northumberland might have covered the entrance near a weir. The Environment Agency who are permitting the draining of the river had a visit scheduled for today that was postponed because of bad weather. But a spokesman said they “are willing to review Mr Bower’s request and see if we are able to support him at another time.”