St John’s Church Hackney & Others

Skillingtons are currently due to commence an autumn and winter programme of monument conservation at All Saint’s, Alrewas; St Michael’s, Broome; St Andrew’s Langford; St Margaret’s, Sotterley and St John’s, Hackney.

We first looked at the Urswyck Chapel at St John’s; Hackney in 2003 and subsequently presented a report for the Parish with our recommendation for their conservation. St John’s suffered from a significant fire in 1955 and at this time the monuments were restored.

Sadly the techniques involved in the restoration of the monuments and the Urswyck Chapel itself have had adverse affects upon them especially that of the floor mounted monument to Christopher Urswyck d.1522 which was entirely repainted in oil paint. Part of the conservation of this monument will be the careful removal of this paint layer to reveal the stone and any original polychrome.