Historic Churches 2021

BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 28 TH ANNUAL EDITION 25 THE SALISBURY DOOM The conservation of The Last Judgement and other paintings at St Thomas’s, Salisbury Peter Martindale I N THE late summer and early autumn of 2019, the Parish of St Thomas’s, Salisbury, commissioned a programme of conservation, which included The Last Judgement or ‘Doom’ wall painting on the east wall of the nave, the walls of bays one and two of the nave (adjacent to The Last Judgement ), and the painted timbers in the roof of bay two. This substantial programme of conservation was just part of an ambitious programme of works, which included repairs to the stone flooring, repairs to the clerestory, the conservation and cleaning of two monuments, the introduction of new seating, and the installation of a new altar at the east end of the nave. The principal item in this programme was The Last Judgement , which can be seen immediately on entering the main west entrance situated as it is on the east wall of the nave above the chancel arch. As some readers may already know, the wall painting we see is a late 19th century repaint of the medieval original, which is believed to date from around 1470. Some original medieval paint remains under the repainting, but it is uncertain how much. The historical significance of this wall painting is briefly summarised by Dr Miriam Gill of Leicester University overleaf. The east wall of the chancel and roof timbers, before and after conservation (All photos: Peter Martindale Conservation)

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