Projects
St Elizabeth’s Church (Minsteracres, Northumberland), Chancel – conservation and restoration of Victorian stencil scheme.
The parish of St Elizabeth’s Church on the Minsteracres Estate commissioned Scottish Wall Paintings Conservators to carry out conservation/restoration treatment on a Victorian stencil scheme. The scheme was first discovered when partially-detached lining paper was removed from the Chancel walls. The plaster substrate had extensive mechanical damage, historic salts damage and missing decoration, and the paint surface was completely covered with adhesive remains and lining paper fragments.
The paint surface was cleaned to remove residual glue, candle wax drips and lining paper fragments.
Crumbling plaster, holes and cracks were stabilised and filled.
Old crumbling, uneven or proud fills were either removed and refilled with an appropriate conservation grade material, or pared back to a level surface.
Flaking paint was consolidated, small paint losses were reintegrated, and missing stencil decoration was reconstructed over large plaster fills.
Modern silver overpaint was carefully removed to reveal intact, delicate stencil decoration on the Ambry door.
A team of four conservators collaborated on this project – Karen Dundas (project leader), Shannon Miller, Rory Johnson and Annabelle Remnant.
