Artwork hidden for 115 years at Church of St Peter & St Paul in Ringwood is revealed thanks to leaky roof

A LEAKY roof helped uncover a treasure trove of religious artwork hidden beneath a painted parish church wall for over 100 years.

The paintings were found after repairs were carried out to Church of St Peter & St Paul Church in Ringwood, and are believed to have been covered up for 115 years.

The artwork began to appear on a wall in the chancel which had been left to dry out after the roof repairs were carried out in 2017.

As the wall dried it became apparent there was something colourful under the old white emulsion.

Painstaking work has now started to remove the paint so the art can be revealed in all its glory.

Vicar Matthew Trick said: "The paintings bring the message alive in a way beyond words."

Expert conservator Peter Martindale is the person carrying out the delicate restoration task, having worked around the country for English Heritage, the National Trust, the Ministry of Defence, and other churches and cathedrals.

He said: "Considering the age of the wall paintings and what has happened over the decades, their overall condition is very good.

“The fact that the wall paintings echo the style of the stained glass leads me to suggest that the interior of the chancel would have been stunning in the 1870s.

“The host of musical angels, over the east window, will catch the eye of anyone who enters the church. It is a great pleasure to work in such a beautiful church."

There were already a few visible paintworks of the four apostles on the wall but, according to a spokesperson for the church, “it became clear that many more hid underneath the white paint”.

Rebuilt in 1850, the east chancel of the church, in Market Place, was at one time covered in colourful wall paintings.

But they were painted over in 1906 because water from a leaky roof had caused damage, and only a few paintings remained visible.

But tests have now revealed that local rumours of hidden art treasures somewhere in the church were true.

Church warden Jacqueline Brown said: “The east end of our chancel is the focus of the church. The stained glass is of national significance.

"The east wall is huge – 13 metres high – needing four tiers of scaffolding for the paint conservator to do his work."

Mr Martindale is also stabilising and repairing the images of the saints, especially that of St Luke which had deteriorated badly due to rainwater getting into the wall.

The work is being funded by King’s College, Cambridge, along along with Hampshire and the Islands Historic Churches Trust, Hampshire County Council, and the William Morris Foundation.