A collection of rare mediaeval wall paintings in a Sussex church have been added to Historic England’s Heritage At Risk register.
The 12th century paintings covering the inside of St Botolph’s Church in Hardham were rediscovered in the 1860s when layers of whitewash were removed.
But today, internal environmental conditions are putting them at risk, says Historic England.
The grade I building is one of a handful of new additions to the heritage group’s at risk register.
The listing says: “The paintings are some of the earliest and most complete examples to survive in England and show depictions of Adam and Eve, St George, and the Annunciation, among other figures and events from Christian history.
“St Botolph’s is an active church that welcomes lots of visitors, but internal environmental conditions are putting the paintings at risk, so a programme of monitoring, analysis and conservation is required.
“St Botolph’s is one of four Sussex churches with surviving early medieval paintings thought to be by the same artists, known as the Lewes group.
“The other examples can be seen at Church of St Michael and All Angels at Plumpton, Coombes Church near Shoreham-by-Sea, and St John the Baptist’s Church at Clayton.”
