An Arts and Crafts Byzantine Gem in Surrey
Following a recent collapse of a small area of the Arts & Crafts mosaic at the church of the Wisdom of God, Lower Kingswood, Surrey our team of conservators carried out emergency stabilisation and surface cleaning.
The team at Arte Conservation begin work on a wintery day at the church of the Wisdom of God in Lower Kingswood. Unique in England, possibly in North Western Europe, in that it is in the Byzantine style with some of its artefacts and marbles being imported from the ruins of Balkan churches.
The Grade I listed church, which has a three star rating in Simon Jenkins’ book ‘England’s Thousand Best Churches’, is an Arts and Crafts gem built in Byzantine style in 1891 by Sidney Barnsley and craftsmen that later worked on Westminster Cathedral. The church has suffered some movement in the past and recently suffered a fall of mosaic necessitating the urgent erection of a scaffold which allowed an assessment to be carried out.
The walls and half-dome of the apse are covered with glittering mosaics, laid by Messrs Powell of Blackfriars, following the Roman and Byzantine tradition. The floral designs of crocuses, fritillaries and roses in the apse were the suggestion of Mrs E. Freshfield and designed by Mr Barnsley. The central gold mosaic cross in the apse is copied from Hagia Irene in Istanbul.
Following surface cleaning the chequerboard pattern of the snakeshead fritillaries comes alive. These flowers are always a favourite when they appear in Spring
