Murals dating back nearly 400 years have been uncovered during a kitchen renovation in an apartment in York, England. The artwork was discovered when Luke Budworth, 29, and his partner Hazel Mooney, 26, temporarily moved out of their one-bedroom apartment while their new kitchen was being installed.
17th-century Murals
Budworth received a call from the contractors, who said, “Did you know there’s a painting behind here?” When he went to take a look, the new kitchen cupboards were already on the wall. The only evidence of the find was an indistinct photo taken by the installers. However, he noticed a section of panelling on the opposite wall, which he suspected was hiding something too. His suspicion was correct.
The newly discovered mural depicts a Biblical scene, in which a man in a cage is being pulled by an angel, and a man in a white cart who is heading towards the kingdom of heaven. Historic England confirmed that the paintings predate the apartment itself and were created between 1635 and 1700. The murals are believed to have been painted on the wall of a building that no longer exists, meaning the present building was constructed around an existing wall. Budworth discovered that both murals depicted scenes from a 1635 book called “Emblems,” written by poet Francis Quarles.
Preserving the Murals
The couple do not have the resources to invest in professional conservation of the exposed mural. However, they are keen to incorporate it into their decor. Budworth said, “If we could find some sort of funding to help conserve it, I would be willing to go to the extent of taking the cupboards off the wall, but unfortunately, I don’t see that happening.” Historic England confirmed that it had visited the property and passed on images of the paintings to the Conservation of Wall Painting department at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
The murals raise questions about the ages of the buildings in this row of historic homes and the history of Micklegate itself. A spokeswoman for Historic England said, “Finds like this tell us that our historic homes have many secrets, and we’ve been pleased to work with this homeowner on looking after these murals for the future.” Historic England has been involved with documenting the murals and supporting the current owner on how best to preserve them. The accidental discovery of these nearly 400-year-old murals is an exciting find for the homeowners and historians alike.
