38
BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON
HISTORIC CHURCHES
21ST ANNUAL EDITION
brush is dipped into the paint and tamped out
on a palette to get an even loading sufficient
to coat the surface without leaking under the
plate. It is worth the time and practice it takes
to do this quickly and efficiently because the
stencil plate will then only need cleaning after
several repeats of the pattern. Otherwise it
would need cleaning after each use to avoid
smudging, taking up valuable time. The stencil
plate is then lifted cleanly away from the surface
and moved to the next position, and so on.
If designed with architectural discipline,
friezes, borders and panels can give visual
structure and substance to large areas of plain
wall. A complex scheme might include several
colours and gilding, and stencils might be joined
up to form continuous patterns over broad
areas. Stippled shading was sometimes used to
emphasise parts of a design or create the illusion
of depth in a representation of a moulding or
the centre of a flower. With imaginative use,
stencilling could impart lightness and delicacy
to plain unrelieved surfaces and transform a
comparatively simple building into one which
appeared rich, refined and sophisticated.
Along with its speedy application, these
were all good aesthetic reasons for the use of
stencilling in the decoration of churches.
CONSERVATION
Victorian and Edwardian stencilled schemes
were most commonly, although not exclusively,
carried out in two types of paint: oil paint or
tempera – a water-based paint usually bound
with glue size derived from animal skins and
connective tissue, although gelatin, gum,
starch or casein (milk protein) were also used
as binders. There is no hard and fast rule
but tempera schemes tend to date from the
earlier Gothic Revival period and oil-based
schemes from the middle and later years.
While tempera decoration has a ‘matt-ness’
and clarity which can to some extent imitate
true fresco, it has the disadvantage of being
readily soluble in water and can also be prone
to abrasion. Consequently many schemes have
suffered damage from damp ingress, wear and
tear, attempted cleaning, and also deliberate
removal. Oil paint has its own characteristic
saturated appearance and lends itself to more
developed decoration, including the addition
of gilding. It is more resistant to everyday wear
but due to its impermeability it, too, is easily
damaged by the ingress of moisture. Over time,
oil-painted surfaces can darken considerably by
the accretion of dirt and through discolouration
caused by atmospheric pollution.
If essentially sound, both tempera and
oil-painted schemes can be successfully cleaned
and conserved. A significant improvement in
appearance can often be achieved by using
dry cleaning methods, or aqueous or non-
aqueous detergent solutions. Colours may
also be obscured by darkened varnish or
discolouration of the paint layer, which can be
removed with solvents or specialist chemical
solutions. However, there are risks attached to
all cleaning so it is important that the painted
surfaces should be investigated to determine the
appropriate treatment in each case. For example,
selecting the wrong solvent could dissolve not
only the darkened varnish but also the original
paint beneath it. With care though, decoration
which has been overlooked for years can be
given a new lease of life and appreciated once
more as a valuable enhancement of its setting.
RESTORATION
Overpaint can sometimes be successfully
removed so that original work can be conserved,
and when this is possible it is clearly the best
approach. In many more cases, however,
problems are encountered: the underlying
decoration may have been in poor condition
when it was painted over; the overpaint may
adhere tenaciously; or there may be later
repairs or alterations which break through
the decorative scheme. In such instances
conservation can be prohibitively expensive.
Equally importantly, it may be unrealistic to
expect the result to be visually acceptable as a
setting for worship. An alternative approach
is to remove sufficient areas of overpaint
to determine the original colours, patterns
and setting out and to reinstate the scheme
entirely. Representative areas can then be
left exposed or protected with a sacrificial
layer such as glue size or a dilute acrylic
glaze as a record of the original work.
Stencilling is often considered to be easy to
do, but this is a mistake which can lead to poor
workmanship resulting in tawdry imitation of
original work. It is absolutely crucial that any
reinstatement must be a faithful reproduction
of the original in every respect; accurate
colours and designs executed with knowledge
and skill. Anything less completely discredits
the approach. Done well, reinstatement can
be very successful, particularly in terms
of the final presentation of the work.
CONSULTATION
A combination of conservation and restoration
is often the best solution to the preservation of
a decorated interior. It is therefore important
before any work is undertaken to consult
specialist conservators and restorers who
are familiar with the type of work involved
who can provide advice and guidance. Our
surviving Victorian and Edwardian stencilled
decorative schemes will then be well looked
after and preserved for the future.
and restorers specialising in interiors of the
Gothic Revival. The company has worked
throughout the country on many prestigious
projects encompassing conservation,
restoration and new decoration including
stencilling, gilding and painted decoration.
Notes
1 AWG Pike et al, ‘U-Series Dating of
Paleolithic Art in 11 Caves in Spain’, Science,
336, June 2012, pp1409–1413
2 R Hill, God’s Architect: Pugin and the
Building of Romantic Britain, Allen Lane,
London, 2007, pp315–316
3 AWN Pugin, Floriated Ornament, Richard
Dennis, Shepton Beauchamp, 1994, preface
4 GG Scott, Personal and Professional
Recollections, Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1995,
p88
5 P Dearmer, The Parson’s Handbook, OUP,
London, 1932, pp69–70
A cleaning test reveals the true colours of the chancel
ceiling decorations; All Saints, Babbacombe, Devon,
by W Butterfield 1872–4 (Photo: Kevin Howell)
Stencilling in progress during the reinstatement of ceiling decorations in 2005; Bedford School Chapel, Bedford,
by GF Bodley (1827–1907) executed 1908–9 (Photo: Stephen Bellion)
