East Anglia’s Medieval Rood Screens: Conserving Sensitive Painted Artworks in Uncontrolled Church Environments

Abstract

England’s East Anglian region has c.550 late-medieval screens still in their original churches, one of Northern Europe’s most significant in situ collections of medieval panel painting. The churches are managed by non-specialist volunteers and are not museums. In many, congregations are shrinking and long-term sustainability will involve varying uses of the building. The buildings and their collections are at risk from, among other factors, weather, groundwater, fire, heat, moisture, light, pollutants and pests, as well as vandalism and theft. The same threats affect screens, causing flaking paint, microbiological growth, insect damage and photodegradation. A collaborative programme was forged between the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge, specialists in medieval panel painting conservation, and Tobit Curteis Associates, specialists in environmental deterioration in historic buildings, supported by the Church of England’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Division. This project aimed to bridge the gap between the conservation of sensitive artefacts and the conservation of the buildings in which they are situated. A methodology, utilising materials analysis, environmental monitoring and building and object surveys, was devised for the assessment of the deterioration of screens and their churches to produce holistic recommendations. Through a pilot study, solutions that are passive, cost effective, innovative and sustainable are being implemented.