Exeter Cathedral has revealed more details about its
multi-million pound plans to put the city's buried Roman remains on permanent display.
It plans to create a major new visitor centre near the Cathedral.
The remains lie just a metre beneath Cathedral Green and are regarded as some of the most significant Roman remains in Britain.
Exeter's Roman Baths date back to AD60 and they were first excavated by archaeologists in the 1970s.
The cathedral is bidding for heritage lottery funding to create the new centre and tourist attraction.
And it has today released new images of the plan for the first time.
A spokesman said residents in the city have wanted to see the remains since they were discovered 40 years ago.
A spokesman said: "There was no funding available then to preserve and keep the remains open for visitors, and so they had to be filled in again with sand, ready and waiting for the day when they might be uncovered once more.
"Now, thanks to the vision of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter Cathedral, it is hoped that day has finally come.
"The Cathedral has submitted a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for money to uncover the remains and allow visitors in to see them through an underground visitor centre, which would tell the story of Saxon and Roman Exeter.
"The vision for the reopening of the Roman Bath site has been carefully explored and developed over many months, with the help of archaeologists and English Heritage."
The spokesman added: "The Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral are committed to ensuring that the open vista of the splendid West Front of the Cathedral remains unaltered.
"If the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund is successful, then the Cathedral's architects will begin to draw up plans for how the underground visitor centre would look and these plans will be put on show at the earliest opportunity for people to ask questions, and to comment."
Above ground the Cathedral hopes to build a new café and shop for visitors.
The Lottery Fund has been asked to donate £8.7m towards the £12.8m project. The Cathedral expects the result of its bid at the end of April 2015.
If you would like to get involved and support the project while the Cathedral waits for the HLF decision, please get in touch.
To comment email foundations@exeter-cathedral.org.uk
