Photograph Copyright Michael Woodward
 |
South
Clerestory parapet repairs and Restoration
of ceiling paintings at
St. Margaret's Church, Ipswich.
 The
centre piece of the project was the cleaning and conservation
of a unique collection of late 17th Century ceiling paintings
in the nave. This
was an elaborate tribute to William and Mary in the baroque
style, consisting of fifty panels in all, mostly on wooden
boards but some on lath and plaster; these latter required
extensive consolidation and infilling, having suffered
most from the ravages of time. Paintings
on plaster were conserved in situ but the wooden panels
were taken down and transported to Bristol to be worked
on by Specialist Conservators International Fine Art Conservation
Studios Ltd. Each panel consists of five boards,
all of which had separated. Following consolidation
and cleaning, the panels were rejoined before being transported
back to Ipswich in specially made cradles and refixed. Behind
the paintings on the plaster were found a number of dates
written by the various artists and craftsmen of the day.
 A
further unique feature of St. Margaret’s is that
the paintings are set amongst a magnificent late 15th Century
double hammer beam roof richly carved and still containing
remnants of a decorative scheme. The
whole structure was carefully cleaned, all painting consolidated
and pockets of deathwatch beetle activity treated.
On
completion, the church was redecorated and new lighting
installed to illuminate the paintings and roof structure
in the nave. To
achieve this, the existing pendant fittings were adapted
to take 450mm diameter spun brass bowls which hide the
new uplighters. Lighting
levels were calculated to ensure minimal damage to the
paintings.
In
total, the project cost approximately £420,000.00
and was funded, not untypically, from three main sources. Firstly,
the church had received a large legacy from a parishoner
which enabled the project to get underway. Secondly,
from local fund raising, including a special appeal. The
third source was grant aid from bodies such as English
Heritage, The Historic Churches Preservation Trust and
its county branch, The Suffolk Historic Churches Trust. |
