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The discovery of 12 demons in the roof of the nave at St Clement’s Church, Outwell, has sparked calls for the relics to be preserved for posterity and made more accessible to parishioners and visitors.

The carvings were found by Dr Claire Daunton, a historian at Trinity Hall, Cambridge while studying equally unique stained glass in the church.

Because of the light entering the roof area of the nave, the carvings are almost impossible to see clearly but she suspected they were quite extraordinary-early 15th century examples of a type of carving found in some European churches – they appeared to have been carved the wrong way round with the evil demons apparently overcoming each of the smaller apostles.

Closer examination of the carvings last month by Dr Daunton and representatives of English Heritage using a cherry-picker and scaffolding confirmed their significance and that they are of such huge local, national and international importance that steps must be taken to ensure they suffer no further damage from pests and the weather.

The inspection, however, did not produce consensus on exactly what the carvings are supposed to represent or what lessons congregations over the centuries are supposed to have drawn from them. One observer suggested the demons were being forced to hold the church up, although conceded they did not appear to be suffering much as a result.