BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 32nd ANNUAL EDITION 39 the importance and use of painted decoration in his works. For example, in his publication Some Remarks (1850), he says: ‘I am glad to have an opportunity afforded me of explaining my real views on the matter of church painting, for I have been long compelled to bear in silence an enormous amount of unmerited blame in this respect, and have witnessed with extreme disgust a great number of most vulgar perpetrations of colour, which have been even introduced in buildings designed by myself, and without the least regard to style or propriety.’ And when he talks about one of his more important projects, Cheadle, he says it ‘was originally designed for a plain parochial country church, and it was quite an afterthought of its noble founder to cover it with coloured enrichment; hence there is a great anomaly between the simplicity of its walls and mouldings and the intricacy of its detail, but all this is the result of a chain of circumstances over which I had no control, yet I have no doubt that many people imagine it is the ne plus ultra of my ideas on church decoration, and that I designed it on a carte blanche, when in truth it was originally planned to meet a very limited outlay.’ In the same publication, Pugin attacks the use of stencils, saying, ‘I dislike them exceedingly’. However, we know that was not always the case; the use of stencils could be very much to his liking, as can be seen in some of his surviving designs currently housed in the V&A Museum and from decoration in some of his buildings. Apparently, there were several projects in which Pugin had to modify his designs to suit client demands, and quite a few cases in which the decorative additions would come shortly after the work was finished, not necessarily following his designs but with assigned authorship. To explore Pugin’s approach to decoration further, and how we conserve these schemes, two ecclesiastical projects which Cliveden Conservation has worked on recently are significant: Nottingham’s Catholic cathedral, which was designed by Pugin and dedicated in 1844, and the Drummond Chapel in Albury Park, Oxfordshire, which is a far older building that was adapted by Pugin as a small private family chapel in 1847. THE DRUMMOND CHAPEL Now a Grade I-listed building, the church of St Peter and St Paul has Saxon origins, with a south transept added in 1280. In the early 19th century, this transept was transformed into a mortuary chapel for the Drummond family of Albury Park. At that time, the church was in disrepair and the congregation had moved to a newer church nearby. Plans for renovation began in 1839 but work didn’t start on site until 1846. Pugin’s architectural interventions were substantial. He raised the floor level at the southern end, created an underground chamber, increased the overall height of the chapel, and enclosed it with carved wooden screens. These changes resulted in a more intimate, semi-enclosed space within the existing church. With the architectural framework established, Pugin developed a richly decorative scheme. He created several sketches until the client approved the final version. Almost every surface is decorated. The wooden ceiling is painted blue with gold stars and red quatrefoils bearing the IHS monogram. Carved wooden friezes are painted with heraldic shields. Stencilled patterns adorn the walls; a pattern at the dado featuring a gilded “D” in red quatrefoils, while above, wavy red and yellow bands with eagles add rhythmic movement. Daylight is subdued through stained glass windows. The monument and altar are carved in stone, painted in flat colours and gilded. The floor is laid with encaustic tiles and brass inlay. The chapel functions as a cohesive artwork, with every decorative element harmoniously integrated, a space that speaks as a whole and not as a sum of its parts. While religious symbols are present, the decoration primarily features iconography related to the Drummond family, especially Henry Drummond. Remarkably, little of the original decoration has ever been painted over and the scheme has survived almost completely intact. Only small areas, particularly near the windows, have been repainted due to water damage. As such, the chapel remains one of the most complete and unaltered examples of Pugin’s interior decoration. Conservation of the chapel and its decoration commenced in 2023. After the condition assessment, the main issues affecting the chapel’s decoration were identified and priority was given Left: The interior of St Peter and St Paul, Albury: the wooden screens introduced by Pugin can be seen in the transept arch on the right. (Photo: Churches Conservation Trust) Right: An eagle, representing the armorial bearing of the Drummond family, is featured on the upper section of the Chapel walls.
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