The chancel wall paintings and ceiling inside St Mary Magdalene’s Church on top of Windmill Hill, Enfield, are to be cleaned and restored thanks to a grant of £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Added to generous donations from members of the community, the target of £80,000 has been raised and work can now begin.
Scaffolding has already been erected, and the work should be complete by the end of March. Vivid imagery of the Magi, angels Prophets and Patriarchs will look as good as new, with gilded wings and crowns. The wooden roof, caked in dirt will gleam with red and gold and green, and damaged paintwork will be carefully retouched and restored using advanced and authorized techniques.
Sunday and weekday services will continue as normal with no significant disruption.
The Church was built in 1883 by William Butterfield, commissioned by Georgiana Twells, in memory of Philip Twells MP. They lived at Chase Side House, of which the gardens now form the Town Park. After the completion of the Church, her final gift was the internal artwork, by Buckeridge and Westlake, which once restored will probably be some of the finest artwork on show in the Borough.
For ongoing information about the restoration work, visit www.saintmarymagdalene.org.uk.
