Historic Churches 2020

24 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 27 TH ANNUAL EDITION substrate were re-adhered by injecting an adhesive between them, then pressing the fragile canvas back into place using gentle heat from a heated spatula, before using wooden props to hold the canvas in place while the adhesive set. In the chancel, stabilisation was required within two south west areas that had severe damage to the paint and plaster layers due to soluble salts. Consolidation was carried out by injecting adhesive behind the flakes of paint and carefully re-adhering them using the heated spatula. Cleaning the gilding There was a large amount of gilding in the church, from relief decorations within the painted ceiling, to bands and polka dots on the ribs and beams, as well as bosses on the chancel ceiling. The cleaning solutions used on the painted surfaces were found to dull the gilding or solubilise the size below, leading to loss, so different materials and methods were sought. Swabbing with Tri Ammonium Citrate (TAC) at a low concentration effectively reduced the organic varnish and worked to return the gilding to its original colour and shine. The chancel bosses were cleaned using a proprietary cleaning solution containing synthetic saliva and TAC, which was left on the surface for a short period of time before clearing and buffing. Flakes of the gilding were re-adhered using an adhesive and heated spatula. CONNECTING WITH THE PAST The choices made by those artists responsible for the incredibly rich decoration of St Mary Magdalene perfectly meet the challenges posed by its architectural setting in terms of distance, scale, materials and function within the religious setting of the church. Each decorative element attracts the viewer in turn and directs their gaze upwards towards the chancel. Conservation, however, revealed glimpses of the very human aspect of its decoration; artists’ signatures and notes, aids such as compass marks, templates and grids, mistakes and corrections, that give intriguing insights into the teams who originally undertook the work. Close study of this intricately layered building provided invaluable opportunities to broaden knowledge of late 19th century architects and craftspeople. Its conservation has offered the opportunity to develop skills and to contribute to the continued joy that this wonderful church brings to the community and congregation. POLLY WESTLAKE is a senior conservator at Cliveden Conservation (see opposite). After her MA at the Courtauld in the conservation of wall paintings, she worked in Crete for seven years conserving excavated wall paintings. The nave, after conservation (Photo: Anthony Coleman) The signature and date of an artist is visible in the centre of an internal wall. (Photo: Cliveden Conservation)