Salisbury church clean unveils medieval craftmanship
Mr Heier said: "Gradually we will hopefully clean the rest of the ceilings in the church."I think it brings visitors in. It's on the Southampton, Winchester, Salisbury, Stonehenge route. "Although it's hidden, it's right in the middle of the city, so it's easy for people to see."
The ceiling that has been restored is in the area of a church called the Lady Chapel, first paid for in the 1400s by William Swain, a prominent name in the city.His name and those of other family members appear in vivid gold inscriptions on the large beams.Ruth McNeilage runs the conservation company working on the project and has been up high on the scaffolding. She loves to see the original painting."You see the actual brush strokes. You see brush hairs. It's beautiful," she said.
Over the centuries, there have been attempts at re-painting. Using a digital microscope and pigment analysis, Ms McNeilage and the team were able to uncover early decoration, including bright colours and floral designs. "The original is actually far more free and graceful, like someone who was very used to wielding a paintbrush," she said. "The 19th Century one is fine, but these are very much stencil flowers, very simplistic. Repeated. There's a difference to the style."
Mr Heier said the latest project cost about £60,000, but the church has received legacies recently and a grant from the William and Jane Morris Fund of the Society of Antiquaries towards it.
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