Launching Our Annual Appeal: Layers of Time — Protecting Our Painted Heritage

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) is proud to launch our 2025 Annual Appeal, Layers of Time, to save some of the nation’s most vulnerable artworks.

Across the 357 historic churches in Churches Conservation Trust’s care, 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.

These paintings are some of the only surviving visual narratives that bring to life the colours, symbols, and stories that shaped the lives of generations long gone. Yet many are now at risk of being lost forever.

These ancient walls cannot wait. We must act now.

Wall painting conservation is a painstaking process, working flake by flake, stabilising pigments and fragile plaster — costing between £1,000 and £3,000 per square metre. Across CCT churches, a significant number of wall paintings require our urgent attention, and we need your help to conserve them.

Your donation could protect treasures like:

• The Bedern Board at Holy Trinity Church, York — a unique memorial recording in red ink the names and fates of Bedern School boys who served in the Great War. Time has faded their stories, and we urgently need £2,000 to conserve this moving piece of York’s history.
• Layered wall paintings at St James’ Church, Cameley, Somerset — a rare survival from the 13th to 15th centuries, now cracked, lifting, and at risk of collapse. We must raise £35,000 to stabilise and preserve this exceptional artistic legacy.

These are just two examples among many. With your support, we can ensure that generations to come experience these unique artworks in all their splendour.