Our wallpaintings

In our estate of 357 churches, over 80 of them have wallpaintings of some description making us one of the country's most significant keepers of nationally important wallpaintings.

When you walk into our churches you encounter a simple and serene interior, with sunlight falling through clear glass windows across plain limewashed walls.

In our estate of 357 churches, over 80 of them have wallpaintings of some description making us one of the country's most significant keepers of nationally important wallpaintings. Our collection spans the entire breadth of styles and ages since the first paint stroke – from the 12th to the 19th centuries.

In 2010 we started to develop a new and exciting project that would bring to the fore our breathtaking wallpaintings.

Over the past year we have worked to bring to life: the history and development of wallpaintings, the conservation techniques and challenges and the meaning behind wallpaintings... but the most exciting and vital aspect of this project was to make the information accessible, interesting and visually alluring to everyone.

The sense of calm and light in our churches is a far cry from how the original Medieval church would have appeared: paintings would have covered most of the walls and architectural surfaces, lifelike painted statues would have stood in polychromed niches and the whole space would have been bathed in the flickering coloured light falling through the stained-glass windows. Rather than appearing light and airy, the space would have appeared dark and mysterious.

Here you will learn the true meaning of wallpaintings and discover a beautiful world hidden in plain sight.