The Painted Tower: Conservation in Context at Longthorpe

Surprising exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at the conservation of the wall paintings in a medieval tower near Peterborough.

I say surprising because I didn't know the show was on and didn't know about the paintings. I love this period of art and there is so little left. I was intrigued by the story of how they were found by a Home Guard troop in the Second World War and to learn that the students of the Courtauld are now working to conserve them.

The first room concentrated on the paintings themselves with a reproduction of one wall hitting you as you walked into the small space. There were good photographs of the other walls and some wonderful watercolours by Clive Rouse who conserved the paintings in the 1940s. They also included a psalter and bestiary from Peterborough Cathedral which may have influenced them.

The second room looked at the current conservation project and the history of wall painting conservation at the Courtauld. There was a good video showing the process and examples of the materials used.

Closed 27 May 2026

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