A bible baked in a loaf of bread,a miniscule prayer book that could be concealed in a fist and quickly-extinguishable oil-lamps - all unique tell-tale signs of the efforts French Protestants, known as Huguenots, had to endure to secretly worship in the remote countryside of France.

In the end it proved too much and some 100,000 of them fled from religious persecution during the 16th and 17th centuries, to Protestant nations, including England.

Those who stayed in France were forced to convert to Catholicism.

To this day Huguenot descendants are still living at the French Hospital, La Providence in the middle of Rochester High Street.

And after years of planning, they have decided to create a National Heritage Centre, dedicated to their rich history, a few doors away at the Visitor Information Centre.

The £5 million project, the biggest of its kind in England, has just been kick-started with an initial £90,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The cash will be used to fund their plans to apply for a fuller grant in a year’s time with a view to getting the museum on the two floors they have bought at the centre opened in 2015.

The collection will house paintings, engravings, silverware, furniture and clocks which have been accumulated at La Providence after it was founded in 1718. It will include an auditorium and an archives section and, in time, will include artefacts from other Huguenot organisations.

It will provide schoolchildren and students the chance to learn about their trades, including silver-smithing and weaving, through demonstrations and workshops.

With an estimated one in six British people having Huguenot blood, there will also be an opportunity to delve into ancestry.

Claire Adler, project manager, said: “The Huguenots are known as the most successfully integrated group of immigrants ever to enter Britain. England was one of the first countries they came to.

"There are heritage centres elsewhere, like in Holland and South Africa, so it’s ridiculous there is not one here.”

Once up and running, the museum will help finance the expansion of almshouse accommodation at La Providence where there are 60 self-contained flats.

A series of information meetings are being launched at which details of the project are being shared with people of Huguenot descent and those interested in their history in Rochester and London.

Peter Duval, from the home for elderly residents, said; “The Huguenot heritage centre will be of enormous benefit to everyone of Huguenot descent, and also for everyone, to understand the importance migrants have always had to our society.

"The grant means we are one step closer to telling our story with clarity and vision for all to enjoy.”