First-ever images reveal mysterious remains of town swallowed by sea 700 years ago

The images and video were recently taken off the coast of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, as news agency Jam Press reported.

The remains are believed to be the lost town of Shipden, a medieval settlement that was eventually consumed by the North Sea in the 14th century.

At the site, divers photographed and mapped 25 man-made features.

Pictures show massive, marine-covered stone structures jutting from the sandy seabed as divers explored the centuries-old site.

Volunteer divers from the East Anglian branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) helped survey and map the underwater site as part of the Alfred Savin Project's investigation.

The divers found structures made of flint - a popular building material in medieval Norfolk - as well as other pieces of cut stone and the remains of stone foundation structures known as caissons.

Some structures remain eight to 10 layers of stone high despite spending centuries underwater.

The effort marks the first time the features are believed to have been photographed.

By the 14th century, its name gradually disappeared from records and the area became known as Cromer.

Historical records confirm that a church was lost to the sea, but divers have yet to find any remains that can be definitively identified as the building.

Lead diver Nick Schiller told Jam Press the team initially set out to search for additional remains of the Victoria, a vessel that wrecked on Church Rock in 1888.

"However, it's been a bonus to help the Cromer team to take some steps forward in understanding the town of Shipden and the port of Cromer," said Schiller.

For now, the location of the church remains a mystery.

"Those of us brought up in Cromer have always known the story of Church Rock, so it's a big step to saying the legend may be incorrect," Stibbons told Jam Press.

He added, "For the present, we're putting forward ideas rather than conclusions."