Historic Churches 2021

BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 28 TH ANNUAL EDITION 37 screen for Hereford Cathedral was displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862 where it drew widespread praise from visitors and the award of a special medal in metalworking for its design and workmanship. THE CONSERVATION PROGRAMME Apart from its association with Francis Skidmore, the St Peter’s ironwork was important due to its high quality and for its excellent condition. When the paint finish to the screens had been examined by Helen Hughes of Historic Interiors Research & Conservation, she confirmed that much of the ironwork retained its original colour scheme and that only the altar rails had been painted for a second time. Despite the fact that the church had been redundant for a number of years there was surprisingly little loss of these paint coatings. The original colour scheme is revealed on one of the wall lights. (Photo: Peter Meehan) Forge-marks on the screens may indicate that they were by Francis Skidmore. (Photo: Peter Meehan) Because of the unusual survival of the original colour scheme, the architect, Donald Insall Associates, advised that it should be examined by a specialist metals conservator and a detailed condition report be prepared. Peter Meehan ACR, of the Historic Metalwork Conservation Company, was approached to carry out the survey of the transept screens in June 2019. Not only the two transept screens, but also the altar rail and wall lights, had all been made from forged wrought iron elements and finished using linseed oil-based paints, consisting of a red iron oxide primer, a light blue undercoat and a coloured finish. Each screen is divided into five sections/bays by decorative iron uprights. A repeating screen sits at low level divided up into small squares by crisscross bars. Set at the centre of each square is a decorative flower detail. The detailing at high level is very ornate, with a series of high-level panels between each upright, all ten being of a different design. Decorative elements are finished in dark reds, dark green, blue, yellow and purple, with gilding used to highlight certain features to the nave side of each screen. Although the ironwork was located inside the church building and so was protected from the elements, there was little or no heating or environmental control inside. As a result, the ironwork had been affected by condensation during the colder months. The original paint finishes had been applied to provide protection to the ironwork as well as to give it a decorative finish, but this was now very old and had degraded. Moisture had penetrated to the iron beneath through flaws in the paint layers, leading to small areas of corrosion and rust formation. In addition, The south transept screen after cleaning and consolidation (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)