Resurrected: Tales of 'McMummies' entombed beneath burger restaurant
IT IS ONE of Tamworth's most enduring legends – how two ancient Egyptian mummies came to be buried under the town centre branch of McDonald's.
And stories of the hidden mummies, which were buried in the 1930s, resurfaced on the internet this week, resurrecting claims that Egyptian officials wanted them returned.
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William MacGregor.
The fast food restaurant, in George Street, confirmed to the Herald that "excavation is out of the question" – and said they were "aware" of the remains – dubbed the "McMummies" – under the branch.
"This fascinating occurrence is something that we have been made aware of previously," a spokesman said this week.
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"However, we understand they are well within the foundations that an excavation is out of the question, unfortunately."
A total of four mummies were brought back to the town by Tamworth's great benefactor and philanthropist William MacGregor, who worked on archaeological digs in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century.
MacGregor displayed a number of Egyptian artifacts in his home at Bolehall Manor.
But when the mummies started to decompose he, was forced to secretly bury them. Two were buried by the banks of the river which bordered the manor.
The other two were interred in 1935 beneath the concrete of the Palace Cinema, which was being rebuilt at the time, because the foundations there reminded MacGregor of Egyptian tombs.
A McDonald's worker said: "The staff are aware of mummies and some are too scared to go downstairs.
"It is pure concrete down there and there is no way it could be dug up."
The identity of the mummies is not known.
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