Restoration bringing medieval tombs back to life

The restoration of the tombs has involved removing centuries of dirt

Six tombs at a church are being carefully restored to show off some of the medieval paintwork which once decorated them.

The work is happening at St Bartholomew's church in Tong, Shropshire, which is on land owned by the Bradford Estate.

Alexander, Lord Newport, said he was "excited" to see the results of the restoration, which has involved the use of lasers to remove centuries of dirt.

Veronika Vikova from Mareva Conservation said many people had not known medieval paint remained on the tombs.

One of the tombs to have been restored is of Sir Henry Vernon, an advisor to Henry VII, and his wife.

Ms Vikova said: "When we started working on it, the tomb looked rather greyish and it was very soiled.

"We have cleaned the whole surface and that has revealed the medieval colours."

Cleaning the limestone was a "very delicate process", she said, and her team had to be careful not to damage the paint, which would fall off if touched.

She said they carried out lots of tests to find the best method and settled on a process which involved four stages, including the lasers, which removed the dirt but not the stone or paintwork beneath.

Bringing the tombs back to life has been a "real honour", she said.

Lord Newport, whose family bought the Tong estate in 1850, said the church was considered one of the most important in the area.

He added: "We would love to encourage more people to come and see these wonderful tombs and some of the other fine architecture and artefacts that are here."