Saints and Monsters
Collection: Peterborough Cathedral Nave Ceiling Conservation Project
Conservation can again be seen in this exhibit which depicts the conservation process carried out on Peterborough Cathedral's wooden nave ceiling, decorated with several amusing paintings of saints, Christian symbols and monsters.
Peterborough Cathedral is famous for its majestic wooden ceiling, built around the 13th Century. The ceiling has only been repainted twice, once in 1740s and again in the 1830s. This collection houses the data from the conservation project started in 1997. The project involved many specialists, such as conservators, art historians, archaeologists and environmental specialists.
The conservation process created a rich digital collection of information containing the reports for each of the five phases of work plus the Emergency Treatment in 1997, the report on the Fire Damage following the fire in the Cathedral in 2001 and a further report on the Transept Ceiling. In addition, all the Plates from the reports have been digitally scanned and the graphics are also available in digital format. There is a set of digital photographs documenting the conservation process, notes from the conservator, Hugh Harrison, some x-ray plates from an early phase of work, and a database of the board-by-board survey undertaken of the conservation work.
"This collection provides detailed documentation and fascinating insight into the restoration work on this beautiful monument." Tim Evans, ADS Digital Archivist.
