WONDERS OF THE ABBEY

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3308, 31 March 1926, Page 6

WONDERS OF THE ABBEY

UNKNOWN BEAUTIES REVEALED RESULT OF CLEANING. In 20 vears’ lime the grey austerity of the interior of Westminster Abbey will be replaced by a wonderful ornamentation of gold and brilliant colors. This is the opinion of the expert renovators who, under Mr. E. \V. Tris:am, of Ithe Royal College of Art, are daily revealing unsuspected beauty on the mediaeval decorative wont. Fo rthrec years they have been removing the grime of centuries from the inner fabric, monuments ana tombs, but only now lias it become possible fully to conceive the former grandeur of the Abbey. Everything that has come under tho cleanerstouch has emerged transformed. The restoration process will ultimately be carried out over every foot of the walls and ceilings, and there is .evidence that the bright illumination or the artists of tho Middle Ages will then be found everywhere. Vivid scarlets, blues of delightful depth, and exquisite greens are being discovered in the lower parts of the Abbey, and wall paintings, some dating from 1300, have come to llgnt. Ornamental work which visitors have hitherto regarded as dirty* bronze coated with verdigris has been revealed as Old English gold. In some cases cleaning tests have been made oa the columns which form part of the chapel walls. Until recently these pillars have appeared to be ordinary ston c blackened by age, but the removal of the crust of grime has shown them to be of fine red and whi|tc marbl c quarried many centuries ago.

Every dull blackish-brown effigy on tombs that have so far been renovated has been discovered to be a mosaic of colour. In some cases the painting' on these alabaster figures is found to be startlingly vivid and gaudy, bust generally th c new effect is one of great beauty and is tribute to tnc skill of the mediaeval craftsmen ana .to th e durability of thc materials they used. This work has been concealed by dirt having become mixed with the opaque varnish which, it is believed, Sir Christopher Wren recommenced for the preservation of the colouring. Th 0 Dean and Chapter are empioyng the most up-to-date methods for the refurbishing of the Abbey. Recently in the north transept a motor lummed while an electrical scrubber was under trial. The machine was tested over the grave of Lord Palmerston, and it brought out the rull richness of the red granite slab above the tomb.