A “terrifically exciting” discovery at Canterbury Cathedral has revealed the true nature of stained glass panels.

Previously thought to just be the work of Victorian restorers, the impressive panels from Miracle Windows in the Trinity Chapel have now been found to date way back to the 1180s.

The discovery - made by researchers carrying out a detailed study - makes them the earliest known art work depicting pilgrimages to Canterbury.

Currently removed from the chapel for further analysis, the vibrant medieval panels also show pilgrims queueing up to receive a blood and water relic.

The Cathedral’s stained glass studio director Leonie Seliger said: “This discovery is terrifically exciting.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity for close-up analysis of the panels which has provided us with fresh information such as being able to read the inscriptions which had previously been deemed illegible.”

Once the panels have been studied and analysed, they will be returned to the window.

Researcher Rachel Koopmans from Toronto’s York University said: “Our work was prompted by an early photograph of the window which showed these panels decades before they were thought to have been made. Analysis has proved that while most of the heads were replaced by a modern restorer, the majority of the glass is original and the panels genuine medieval compositions.

“The date of the panels has been fixed by the distinctive aesthetic style of the glass, which is very similar to glass dated to 1180, as well as the date of the completion of the rebuilding of the chapel in which the window is found, 1182-1184.”

One of the panels shows pilgrims on foot and horseback and a disabled pilgrim on crutches on the road together.

The intricate detail includes the bright green and yellow boots of the pilgrims, painted with horizontal stripes and a polka dot decoration.

It is thought the highly elaborate footwear may have been meant to underline the importance of the pilgrimage to Canterbury.