After 14 weeks of painstaking repair and conservation work during 2022, the western section of medieval wall paintings on the north nave wall at Crostwight is no longer at risk of permanent loss from flaking plaster and paint. Conservator Dr Andrea Kirkham carefully removed previous, inappropriate repairs to the paintings, re-attached the many laminating patches of plaster, and filled the holes left by earlier plaster losses. The nationally-important paintings, which depict a Tree of the Seven Deadly Sins, a Warning to Gossips, St Christopher and fragments of other figures, are now safe for future generations to enjoy. The church is open to visitors during daylight hours. The congregation and PCC of the parish of Honing with Crostwight are very grateful to the 10 organisations which have given grants towards the repairs, which cost nearly £50,000: The Norfolk Churches Trust, ChurchCare, The Geoffrey Watling Charity, The Headley Trust, The Evelyn Rose Trust, The Leche Trust, The William and Jane Morris Fund, The Idlewild Trust, The Garfield Weston Foundation, and The Benefact Trust. We are also most grateful to the several private individuals who have made substantial donations to the project.The Crostwight Repairs and Conservation Project is now moving into its next phase – correcting structural weaknesses in the chancel arch and the south wall of the chancel - and conserving the fine sequence of medieval paintings of Christ’s Passion, on the eastern part of the north nave wall. These works will cost more than £350,000. Fundraising is beginning in February 2025, with an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other grant bodies.
