Castle renovations turn up ancient wall paintings

Wall paintings dating back hundreds of years have been found during a £3 million restoration of Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island.

The discovery sheds new light on the history of the 16th Century castle.

As part of a programme of works, conservation experts found what originally seemed to be a series of butterfly motifs after carefully removing layers of paint and plaster in the kitchen and the west bedroom.

But further study showed the paintings were a stylised flower motif, likely to date to the mid to late 17th Century.

National Trust conservator John WynnGriffiths said: “We are always extremely careful when peeling back layers of history but we did not expect to find these paintings at all.”

The decoration makes experts believe the building may have been more than merely a Northumberland base for soldiers guarding the volatile Borders.

Mr Wynn-Griffiths said the surviving paintings were not in the best condition, were professionally done and were found in different parts of the castle, indicating a more extensive decorative scheme.