Church of England project to conserve murals announced

The Church of England has launched into a project to conserve church murals, some dating back over a century, in a project partially funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the J. Paul Getty Trust.

In particular the Church is looking for to conserve among the works of Walter Starmer, an artist energetic at across the time of the First World War. Some of his work might be present in the Lady Chapel at St Jude’s Church in Hampstead Garden, London.

Commissioned after the war in memory of fallen soldiers, the murals within the chapel depict famous women from the Bible and from Christian history.

The cleansing and conservation work is being partially funded by the Church’s recent conservation grant scheme, using funds from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The scheme’s purpose is just not confined to conservation, but can also be meant to pass on skills to the following generation.

As such much of the work might be done by six students studying for a master’s degree in conservation. Already the scholars have spent six weeks doing field work on the chapel and have been learning in regards to the techniques utilized by Starmer to create the works.

Lecturer Sibylla Tringham is overseeing the scholars. She said, “This is a extremely wonderful site for the scholars to learn the sensible features of wall painting conservation. They have been looking closely on the paintings to know how they were made and the ways that they’re deteriorating. It has been a incredible learning opportunity for them.”

The Bishop of Edmonton, Anderson Jeremiah, who viewed the conservation efforts, commented, “The wall paintings within the Lady Chapel of St Jude’s were painted in the beginning of the twentieth century and are a remarkable tribute to the role of girls within the Church of England and wider society.”

Church heritage funding has been used for a spread of projects up and down the country, including the preservation of historic pipe organs, monuments, tombs and stained-glass windows.