Hardham Church: a case study
Delete sample document icon and replace with working document icons as follows:
- From Insert Menu, select Object…
- Locate File name in “File” box
- Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked.
- From Slide Show Menu, Select Action Settings.
- Click “Object Action” and select “Edit”
The Romanesque wall paintings of St Botolph's Church, Hardham (West Sussex), are the most complete scheme of medieval painting surviving in the British Isles. Regrettably, they are now in appalling condition, as a direct consequence of well-intentioned but misguided attempts to conserve them. The paintings were uncovered from beneath limewash in 1866, varnished in 1900, waxed in 1934, then coated with soluble nylon in the 1960s: each of these interventions further complicating the problem.
The principal causes of deterioration are soluble salts and the soluble nylon. The Instrumental analytical results indicate that the closest match for this coating is soluble nylon, a synthetic polyamide a consolidant widely used in the 1960s (FTIR: the spectrum has very strong amide I and II bands, and gives a good match for Calaton?). The degraded material is not soluble in water, acetone, xylene, trichloroethylene, white spirit or IMS; and hence, cannot simply be removed. The coating is extremely hygoscopic. The film responds vigorously and immediately when exposed to varying relative humidity, resulting in significant dimensional changes and mechanical damage to the paint layer.