Historic wall paintings and altar inside St James' Church, Bramley village, Hampshire, England, UK, a Grade I listed building


In the 1870s, Charles Eddy, vicar of the church, uncovered a large number of wall paintings and painted scriptural texts dating to the 13th through 16th centuries which had been whitewashed over in 1550–1551 during the Reformation. The earliest paintings are on the south wall, and depict a series of martyrdoms, the best preserved being a depiction of the murder of Thomas Becket by four knights in 1170. On the north wall is 16th-century depiction of St Christopher which bears a remarkable likeness to contemporary portraits of King Henry VIII. The north wall also has paintings of scriptural texts (John 3:5, Psalm 26 verse 6, and Psalm 95), as well as two consecration crosses. There are also elaborate decorative painted designs in the chancel, around the north and south windows, and on the east wall, with paintings of saints on either side of the east window.


Size: 5265px × 3498px
Location: Bramley, Hampshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Gillian Pullinger / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 13th, altar, altarpiece, anglican, architecture, art, artwork, bramley, britain, british, building, century, church, england, english, glass, grade, great, heritage, historic, history, interior, james, kingdom, listed, medieval, painting, paintings, parish, st, stained, uk, united, village, wall, walls, window