Introduction

This collection of papers is the product of an interdisciplinary symposium hosted at The Courtauld on 31^st January 2025. Developed in partnership with colleagues at The Church of England, Icon’s Stone & Wall Paintings Group, and English Heritage, this gathering marked the culmination of the first major phase of a grant-funded digitisation project to make the National Wall Paintings Survey publicly accessible through a dynamic new online database.

Begun by Professor David Park at The Courtauld in 1980, the Survey has grown into a vast and internationally important resource, comprising records of all known British medieval wall paintings as well as extensive material on post-medieval schemes of painted decoration. Encompassing photographic records, conservation reports, annotated publications and previously unpublished research, the archive documents the UK’s most lavish courtly and ecclesiastical murals alongside paintings in more humble contexts. Incorporating material bequeathed from the archives of some of the UK’s earliest pioneering conservators, the Survey constitutes an exceptional record of the condition of Britain’s wall paintings and forms an essential point of reference, both for scholars of art history and for those charged with the ongoing care of these works.

This interdisciplinary study day was designed as an opportunity for all those working in the field of British wall paintings to come together and reflect upon the evolution of approaches to their study, and to explore collaborative endeavours which might better inform their future care. Comprising three chaired sessions of short papers from a diverse and engaging line-up of scholars and heritage professionals, the day concluded with an informal panel discussion. Extraordinarily well supported by over 180 participants – including architects, conservators and art historians, church wardens and volunteers – the day proved an invaluable opportunity for reflection and for beginning rewarding new conversations.

Organised by:

Emily Howe (Project Lead, National Wall Paintings Survey at The Courtauld) with Tracy Manning (Cathedral & Church Buildings Department, Church of England), Sarah Pinchin (Chair, Icon Stone & Wall Paintings Group) and Sophie Stewart (Collections Conservation, English Heritage), with the invaluable assistance of The Courtauld’s Research Forum Team.