Rare medieval wall painting uncovered

A RARE and very well preserved medieval wall painting — previously under lock and key — can now be viewed by visitors to Stratford’s Guild Chapel.

The Allegory on Death, or Death Poem — found on the west wall within the chapel — has for decades been covered by wooden panelling to protect it.

Now, for the first time, volunteer guides at the chapel are able to reveal the Death Poem so that the hundreds of visitors flocking in on a daily basis can see it for themselves.

The painting shows an allegory on death, illustrating the transitory nature of earthly glories and the suffering for sins following death, a subject which was popular in the medieval times when it was painted.

It is one of the best-preserved wall paintings found within the chapel — which houses some of the finest surviving medieval frescoes in the whole of Europe.

A major project — backed by a £100,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund — is now underway. This project — ‘Death Reawakened’ — will see the Death Poem undergoing careful conservation work in the autumn.

Following this, the wooden panelling will be removed and replaced by a glass window so that the painting can then be on permanent display.

The Guild Chapel’s wall paintings — Stratford’s best-kept secret — were uncovered in the 19th and then 20th centuries, having been lime-washed on orders given to John Shakespeare, the father of the playwright, in 1563 as part of the Reformation.

Displays charting the history of the chapel, exploring its long associations with the Shakespeare family and detailing the significance of its rare paintings, are now in place with a team of volunteer guides on hand to welcome the hundreds of visitors stepping into the chapel each week.