Originally the walls of the Abbey would have been whitened and
coloured in red lines with rosettes. A fragment of this design
was seen in the early 20th century, hidden behind a
blocked recess at the end of the wall passage in St Nicholas's
chapel. The most important wall paintings in the Abbey are from
the late 13th century i.e. the figure of St Faith in
her chapel and the figures of Christ with St Thomas and St
Christopher in the south transept. The series of
14th century paintings of the Apocalypse and the
Last Judgement in the Chapter House are the most extensive.
St Faith: The six foot (two metre) high crowned figure
of the saint stands on a corbel and beneath a canopy and is
wearing a dark green tunic with a rose coloured mantle lined
with fur against a rich vermilion background. She holds a book
and a grid-iron, the symbol of her martyrdom. The wall behind
is dark green and the recess is painted with zig-zag red and
white bands. The painting is in oil on a thin primed ground and
can be dated c.1290-1300. On the dado are a series of
geometrical panels, with a crucifixion scene in the centre. To
the north is a praying Benedictine monk with a Latin
inscription slanting upwards towards the saint. This can be
translated as "From the burden of my sore transgressions sweet
virgin deliver me; make my peace with Christ and blot out my
iniquity". The painting was cleaned in the 1970s.
Christ with St Thomas and St Christopher: These two
paintings were in the chapel of St Blaise, a small chapel in
the southern section of the south transept which survived until
the 18th century. They had been obscured by two
monuments (now re-located) and were only discovered during
cleaning in 1934. By 1936 figures of the Risen Christ with St
Thomas and St Christopher bearing the Christ Child on his
shoulder had been revealed. The main figures are nine feet
(three metres) in height. The Incredulity of St Thomas is
painted on a vermilion ground, diapered with fleurs de lys
which were once gold, as was the vexillum, or cross, that
Christ holds in his left hand. With his right he grasps the
hand of the kneeling St Thomas to put it against the wound in
his side. Christ wears a pink coloured mantle and the Apostle
wears a pale yellow tunic and dark green over-mantle. No
inscription remains. St Christopher is painted on a green
ground, originally diapered with small rosettes. The saint has
his mantle drawn over his head and carries his staff in his
right hand while he holds the Child on his shoulder, supporting
the foot in his hand. The Child wears a blue robe and carries
an apple. In the water through which the saint is wading there
is a small head, which may represent a mermaid associated with
his legend. Two Latin inscriptions remain. These can be
translated: "Think that St Christopher was so called because he
carried Christ. The Omnipotent makes grow the One whom he is
carrying" and at the base "Whoever keeps safe the image of St
Christopher is surely possessed by no exhaustion on that day".
Both saints were revered by Henry III. The paintings are in oil
on a thin primed ground and have been attributed to Master
Walter of Durham, the King's Painter. Dates from 1270-1300 have
been suggested for the paintings. The rosettes carved around
the arches also have traces of colour.
Eleanor of Castile tomb: Eleanor, queen of Edward I,
died in 1290. On the stone base of her tomb, visible from the
north ambulatory, are faint traces of a painting of a
sepulchre, at the feet of which are four pilgrims and at the
head is a knight praying before the Virgin Mary and Child. By
his armorial surcoat the knight can be identified as Sir Otes
de Grandison, Lord of Grandson near Lausanne, a close friend of
Edward I. The background is apple green and his surcoat has
blue and white stripes with a red bend and the pilgrims wear
grey and red. The painter is thought to be Master Walter of
Durham. A framed reconstruction of the painting by Prof.
E.W.Tristram stands by the tomb.
Edmund (Crouchback), Earl of Lancaster tomb: Edmund,
brother to Edward I, died in 1296. On the base of his tomb on
the north side are the remains of a painting depicting ten
knights in mail armour and surcoats, although only a few can
now be made out. The painting is also thought to be by Walter
of Durham. First described and drawn by John Carter in the late
18th century the paintings were damaged by an oil
bomb thrown by a fanatic in 1968.
Tomb assigned to King Sebert: On the arch of this early
14th century tomb in the south ambulatory are
remains of vine leaves, a Catherine wheel and head of a woman.
By tradition the bones of Sebert, who died in about 616, were
re-buried in this tomb in 1307, after Henry III had rebuilt
this part of the Abbey.
Chapter House: The main series of paintings in the wall
arcades were the gift of John of Northampton, a monk of
Westminster from 1375-1404. The lower tiers of paintings of
birds and animals were probably painted a century later. The
Apocalypse series begins in the north-west bay (to the left as
you enter). Some scenes are now obliterated or very faint. Each
arch has four scenes from the Revelation of St John the Divine,
framed in bands of red decorated with small dogs or roses.
Scrolls of text appear beneath each scene. In the heads of the
arches are angels playing musical instruments. The Apocalypse
series is interrupted in the eastern bays by the Last Judgement
or Doom group. These show Christ in Majesty robed in crimson
with a golden nimbus sitting on the arc of Heaven with a globe
beneath his feet. Seraphim are shown holding golden crowns and
in two more arcades are crowds of figures which have the
appearance of portraits. The paintings were cleaned in 1924 and
in the 1980s.
Chapel of Our Lady of the Pew: This small chapel off the
north ambulatory has several designs on the walls, brought up
by cleaning in 1923. The vaulting has red stars on a white
ground with a roof boss depicting the Assumption of the Virgin,
who is dressed in red. The ribs have barber pole bands and
rosettes and the walls are diapered over with pine-shaped
designs, on each of which is a fleur de lys. This was a popular
design in the late 14th century. The antlers and
head of a white hart, a badge of Richard II, can still be made
out.
Fragment in St Paul's chapel: a small band of medieval
painting behind the bust of Anne Cottington in this chapel was
uncovered in 1952 during cleaning. It consists of red foliage
in circular patterns with a green band above.
Painted shields on the wall of the nave: Aristocratic
and wealthy relatives and benefactors to the building of Henry
III's church between 1245 and 1272 were first commemorated by
carved shields of arms (to be seen in the choir aisles and
easternmost bays of the nave). When the rest of the nave was
finally rebuilt nearly 150 years later the series was continued
but the shields were painted onto the spandrels of the wall
arcades. A few shields were re-painted in the 1960s. Those that
remain on the south side are: Roger de Venables, Roger de
Montealto, Fulk Fitzwarren, Robert de Thwenge, William
Longspee, Earl of Salisbury and William Ferrars, Earl of Derby.
On the north they are: Gilbert Talbot, John de Balliol, Robert
de Ross, Roger de Mowbray, Henry de Hastings, John de Dreux,
Earl of Richmond and Hugo de Vere, Earl of Oxford.
Upper Islip chapel: in the late 1920s, nearly 400 years
since the death of Abbot John Islip who built this chantry
chapel, traces of two monochrome paintings of St Peter and St
Edward the Confessor were found either side of the altar in the
upper chapel. They stand on large corbels beneath elaborate
canopies and are about ten feet (three metres thirty cms.)
tall. The paintings in this chapel were executed by Master
Humphrey in 1530 but the central Crucifix and figure of Christ
standing on a rainbow have not survived. (The scheme of
paintings in the upper and lower chapels can be seen in a
drawing in the mortuary roll of Abbot Islip, 1532, in the Abbey'
For further information and pictures contact Westminster Abbey
Library.