Flashback to 2005: Church's bid to restore historic wall paintings
They were beautiful examples of pre-Raphaelite art that were regarded as little-known national treasures
But in 2005, the unique set of historic frescoes at a Black Country Church were in desperate need of some TLC to bring them back to life.
The murals were painted by famed English artist Edward Reginald Frampton at Rushall Parish Church in Walsall.
The building, also known as the church of St Michael the Archangel, in Leigh Road is believed to be unique in having an entire wall of pre-Raphaelite art work.
But the murals painted in 1905 and 1906 were fading badly and were suffering from the effects of condensation caused by an inefficient heating system dating back to the 1970s.
In 1997, the parochial church council sought advice from experts on how best to conserve the pre-Raphaelite paintings and an environmental monitoring report led to the heating system being changed.
A scheme to restore the paintings was mooted in 1999, but the Heritage Lottery Fund rejected a £50,000 grant bid until research in to atmospheric conditions at the church had been carried out.
In 2005, the church launched a huge fundraising campaign in a bid to save the paintings.
Speaking at the time, church warden Bob Barnard said £36,000 of the £100,000 project would go to fund a new heating system for the church, based on the results of the year-long monitoring survey.
The new system would have a dual purpose - to keep the congregation warm with heating under the pews and preserve the wall paintings at a constant temperature of 51 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mr Barnard said they had about £5,000 in the kitty and a series of fundraising events at the church would start with a parish auction.
They would also be making a fresh appeal for lottery funding from English Heritage and money from landfill tax credits.
"I was aware of the murals and the work which was needed to restore them before I came here. They are one of Walsall's hidden gems," the Rev Colin Such, vicar of Rushall, told the Express & Star in 2005.
Thanks to the efforts of worshippers who held fairs and other community events, and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the church was able to replace the heating system which improved conditions for the paintings.
The windows and the stonework had also been cleaned as apart of the project.
Then, in 2015, internationally-renowned conservators Lisa Shekede and Stephen Rickerby, who were based in London, arrived to work on the pictures.
Frampton, who specialised in murals, painted the four archangels, the tree of knowledge and other angels onto the walls.
As part of the process, Lisa has painstakingly cleaned the wall surrounding the figure of the archangel Gabriel with thin paper and cotton buds.
He is featured in the nativity story in the Bible. Once the cleaning and rubbing down stage is completed, the pair will begin the intricate process of placing the individual flakes of paint that have fallen from the wall back into position using specialist techniques.
Mr Barnard, said: “When the conservators arrived they found that the condition of the paintings was different depending on their location up the walls.
“The higher up they are above the chancel, the worse the flaking has been. Some of the individual flakes are quite big in size.
“These will be delicately put back into position. The worst sections of damage are near the organ pipes and the ceiling.
“This work will preserve the paintings for future generations to enjoy and stop them from flaking again.”
Mr Barnard said a new heating system had helped to slow down the deterioration in recent years.
“This stripping has happened over many years. We used to have condensation in the church, but since we got rid of the open gas fires and replaced the heating system six years ago we haven’t had any problems with this and there has been little deterioration since then," he said.
Scaffolding has been installed across the north and south transepts and above the chancel to allow the experts to get close to the paintings.
The artwork was believed to be one of only three frescoes by Frampton left in churches in Britain. Smaller examples are located in Hastings, in east Sussex, and Southend, in Essex.
Rev Such said: “We are delighted that work on this final phase has started. We are grateful to everyone who has helped us reach this point especially church members and people in the wider community who have given their time and money.
“We are also delighted that the work is being carried out by Lisa Shekede and Stephen Rickerby who have been involved with the project from the start. They are internationally known conservators who have worked in Malta, Bhutan, Georgia and Ethiopia among others countries.”
The church was appealing to well-wishers to sponsor sections of the wall paintings in a bid to pull in as much funding as possible to cover the remaining cost of the restoration work.
