Father Jervis surveying the cleaned mosaic. Picture courtesy the Worthing Herald
It took more than the power of prayer to give the magnificent mosaic murals in a medieval church near Worthing a face-lift. After usual sources of funding proved unavailable, the Church elders at St Andrew's, a 13th century church in Tarring, West Sussex raised the £80,000 needed to restore the mosaics and remedy the underlying cause of their decay.
The mosaics are said to be rare – especially for such a small church. “They are unusual to have in a parish church,” explained David Maddock, the appeals chairman for the project. “We had somebody here from English Heritage who was very interested in them, and thought they were very good.”
Designed by the Victorian architect William Butterfield, who worked on the Albert Memorial, the murals depict the apostles. They reach six feet in height and stand within panels measuring 11.5 feet by 9 feet, several medallions depict the heads of eight patriarchs from the Old Testament and the Apostles' Creed. Exotic palms and glistening stars finish the decoration.
Courtesy The Worthing Herald
“We have more mosaic work here than any other parish church in the whole of the country,” said the current rector, Father Edward Jervis. “Butterfield’s design is believed to be based on mosaics at Ravenna. They are very tasteful and coloured, and we are delighted that they have come up so well in the recent cleaning and restoration. We are very pleased to be able to pass on this legacy to future generations.”
St Andrew’s has a long and colourful history; its church tower was used as a signalling station to warn of the approaching Spanish armada, and its mosaics were installed on the north, south and west walls of the nave in 1884 and 1885.
It was the then Rector, Dr Henry Baily, who invited his friend William Butterfield, to the church, and 'persuaded or cajoled' him to do the designs for St. Andrew’s. The mosaics were made by a London firm with a workshop in Paris and installed at the church by Italian craftsmen.
Courtesy The Worthing Herald
Funding for the restoration came from a combination of bequests, fund-raising events and donations, as well as a grant from the Francis Coles Charitable Trust.
“The actual cost of the mosaic conservation was about £50,000, but as a stage towards that we had to repair the flint work outside, as well as some of the windows,” explained church warden John Hubbard. “There was no point in cleaning the mosaics if the underlying cause was left untreated.”
“It was recognised that the work was needed seven years ago,” he added. “We realised that the condition of the mosaics was deteriorating. There was salt efflorescence coming in through the south wall because of the weather, and water running down the walls, which were getting streaky and discoloured.” Pieces of mosaic were also becoming detached in places, and have been fixed back by injecting sealant.
Courtesy The Worthing Herald
Despite their parlous condition the mosaics have always been a tourist attraction and Elders at the church hope many more visitors will come to see them in the way they do cathedrals.
“We hope there will be a spin-off,” said John, “but we did it because it is our heritage and we felt that we ought not to neglect it."
With thanks to the Worthing Herald for kind permission to use images.
