Restorers showing patience for a saint
The patron saint of England is being painstakingly and lovingly restored in a castle outside Bath - but where is his dragon?
Much of the castle of Farleigh Hungerford, first built in the 14th century, lies in ruin.
But the chapel of St Leonard, a notable exception, is beautifully preserved.
It has wonderful stained-glass windows, and to the left of a brightly decorated altar, stands St George, frescoed on the wall almost 600 years ago.
“Farleigh Hungerford’s wall paintings are a beautiful and important example of medieval art, giving us a unique insight into the once rich interiors of the castle,” said Rachel Turnbull from English Heritage.
“Conserving centuries’ old artworks like these is a delicate and complex task, and we can see here how previous, well-meaning, conservators sometimes got it wrong.”
The background to the saint’s fresco is damaged, and parts are missing, but around his right ankle and calf curls a tail, looking suspiciously like a dragon’s tail.
In many European depictions of the saint he is shown actually standing on the dragon, and adjacent to his left leg is a barely visible depiction of a knight.
St George was patron saint not only of England and other cities and regions around Europe, but also patron of the Order of the Garter. The commissioner of the paintings in the 1440s, Lord Walter Hungerford, was a member of that order which is thought to be why a knight with his coat of arms kneels at the Saint’s feet.
“Our expert conservators have carefully analysed the condition of the wall paintings to find just the right method for each part of the work,” said Rachel.
“It’s a painstaking process, but vital to ensure these historic paintings can be enjoyed by generations to come.”
The image of St George is one of a number of 15th century wall paintings and decorations in the castle’s chapel – largely commissioned by the 1st Lord of Hungerford that will be conserved as part of the current work.
Since their discovery in 1844 the wall paintings have suffered badly from damp conditions, and previous preservation attempts in the early 20th century sometimes did more harm than good.
Well-meant but misguided preservative treatment with hot wax, applied between 1931 and 1955 and removed by English Heritage in the 1970s, drew up red pigments from the underlayer of paint and irrevocably turned the backdrop from the intended light grey to a rusty pink.
Expert conservators have begun the task of re-fixing flaking paint and removing damaging wax residue as part of a programme of work to conserve the painted interiors of the castle’s chapel.
Following a detailed survey, work began last week to save these rare and delicate paintings from serious deterioration or even permanent loss in the future. Restorers have begun with the top half of the fresco, but we can’t wait to see the lower half: not only the medieval knight but more particularly the owner of that reptilian tail.