Tewkesbury Abbey nave: cleaning and recording 1996

The erection of a scaffold for the cleaning of the painted decoration of the nave vault at Tewkesbury Abbey in May to July 1996 provided a rare opportunity to inspect the upper areas of the nave fabric at close range. Recording took place of the vault bosses, of extensive masons marks on the vault ribs, of reused fabric in the clerestory, and of the great west window replaced in the later 17th century. As a result, it has been possible to suggest a revised hypothesis for the form of the Romanesque nave vault and for the way the vault and clerestory were reconstructed in the 14th century; and also to reconstruct aspects of the lost medieval west window. The discoveries included two fine Romanesque carved capitals, and two medieval wall-paintings in the upper areas of the nave, all previously unnoticed. In addition, Ruth Davis’ cleaning and conservation of the vault provided new insights into the details and techniques of the Victorian restoration.