Cameley Wall Painting Lecture

St James' Church, Cameley, Somerset

Join Churches Conservation Trust and four experts on St James' Church in Cameley, Somerset, and its multitude of wall paintings, to delve deep into the church’s past.

Whilst seated on medieval benches and Georgian pews, you are invited to spend the afternoon immersed in this unspoiled gem and to learn about its vast history. We will firstly welcome CCT's Conservation Project Manager, Meriel O'Dowd, to introduce us to the church and the speakers, then stonemason and author, Andrew Ziminski, to delve further into how to read a church and how you can visually peel back the layers of a church’s history (even one with as many layers as St James'!). 

Following an intermission, with light refreshments, included in the cost of your ticket, we will hear from local historian, Bob Medland, and architectural paint specialist, Ruth McNeilage, to introduce us further to the history and mysteries of its striking wall paintings and talk about their current condition and future conservation.

At St James' many paint fragments have been identified, including the fine early seventeenth-century Ten Commandments over the chancel arch, framed in twining leaves with enchanting cherubs: faces peering out. CCT is now seeking funds to secure the future of these paintings. With serious water ingress and consequential cracked plaster, urgent donations are needed to carry out delicate specialist conservation work. 

Proceeds from this event will go towards the conservation of the wall paintings that we will spend the afternoon learning about. If you wish to make a donation directly to this cause, please do so here on our website, or by calling our Fundraising team on 0800 206 1463. 

As a gesture of thanks for their ongoing support of our work, we are delighted to offer members of CCT and Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) discounted tickets for this event. 

Photo credit: Andy Marshall