A CONSERVATION project at a church in Salisbury has brought to life a collection of vivid angels that were coated with centuries of grime.

Thought to have been created in the early 1400s, these angels have now been restored thanks to a team led by Ruth McNeilage of Devon based specialists, McNeilage Conservation, as they worked to restore the Lady Chapel ceiling as part of an ongoing conservation project.

Their restoration revealed decoration and creativity of a bygone time.

A whole host of angels, resplendent in vivid colours, are set against striking red, gold and striped ceiling beams.

The team of five specialists has been on site for a number of weeks using the latest techniques that concentrate on cleaning and refurbishment rather than restoration and repainting.

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This has included consolidating flaking paint and areas of timber where there has been insect attack, filling areas of loss and removing layers of dirt, later coatings and varnish layers from the painted surfaces.

Ruth of McNeilage Conservation said: “This has been an extremely rewarding project to work on in a very special church and wonderful to bring this ceiling back to life.

Picture: St Thomas’s

“The ceiling was largely repainted in the 19th century, but with careful on-site examination supported with a digital microscope and the assistance of pigment analysis, we have identified the original colour scheme and, in some areas, uncovered earlier decoration that was partially visible on the tie beams.

“As well as the vivid colour scheme, the design includes exquisite original details such as the angels and scrolling floral decoration.

“The original pigment palette is very similar to those used on the easternmost ceiling bay of the nave, which was uncovered during the 1990s.”

Funding for the conservation project was sourced through generous legacies that the church has recently received and a grant from the William and Jane Morris Fund of the Society of Antiquaries.

It is hoped to restore further parts of the church ceilings and lighting, subject to funding.