Layers in Time: The Story

CCT cares for over 350 churches, over 80 contain historic wall paintings, and many more house painted artworks, memorials and monuments — making CCT one of the most significant stewards of this fragile and nationally important heritage.  

A particularly interesting example of wall painting in a CCT Church can be found at St Nicholas’ Church in Freefolk, where we have two paintings; St Christopher carrying the Christ Child on an earlier plaster layer with a later Stuart Royal Arms on a subsequent plaster layer on the north wall of the west end nave, while in the east end of the chancel can be found the upper part of a monument. Whilst in the care of CCT these remarkable wall paintings are regularly monitored and when necessary, conservation work has been commissioned to prevent deterioration and losing these fascinating images forever.  
 
Not only are the wall paintings historically significant and delight and intrigue all who visit St Nicholas, they are greatly loved and appreciated by the community who use the church. So much so, that the community joined CCT Conservation staff and wall painting conservators for the last assessment in 2023. Thanks to the generosity of members of the community, CCT were able to commission conservation work based on the recommendations of this report, which identified areas of detached plaster (found by a trained conservator gently tapping the plaster), vulnerable plaster edges, painted plaster losses, surface dirt and a small hole to fill.

Thanks to the generous support of the community, CCT were able to commission the painstaking conservation work required to stabilise and clean these precious surfaces. In April 2024, specialised conservators started work using traditional techniques and materials. They were able to secure areas of detached plaster using a lime slurry or lime based grout, protect vulnerable plaster edges with sensitively applied lime mortar fillet repairs and fill and repair disfiguring losses in the painted plaster. They also removed overlying limewash from a section of painted frame to reveal the underlying paint and filled any holes in the painted plaster with lime mortar. With a soft artist’s brush they gently removed surfaced dirt, dust, and cobwebs. They could then tone plaster repairs using toned lime ground and watercolour paint.  

This success story at St Nicholas’ Church in Freefolk is a key example of just how much care, expertise, and dedication goes into preserving the fragile beauty of wall paintings and historic artworks across our sites. But we cannot do this work alone. In August 2025, we launched Layers of Time annual appeal. Every gift towards this appeal helps us to carry out specialist conservation, safeguard vulnerable heritage, and ensure that these treasures remain a source of wonder and pride for their communities. Please consider supporting us today, so together we can continue protecting the stories painted into the very fabric of our churches. You can support this appeal by visiting, visitchurches.org.uk/Appeal, or by calling 0800 206 1463.