Do you love The Repair Shop? Seeing the restoration of something old and worn into something beautiful? Then the next Bridge Chapel Lecture on Thursday, 5 September, could be for you.
Expert painting conservator Sarah Cove – who advised on popular television programme Fake or Fortune – will be sharing her experience of cleaning and conserving a 19th century painting of the River Medway for the Rochester Bridge Trust.
The painting by William Callow depicts the river in front of Rochester Castle and Cathedral, and the modernised medieval Rochester Bridge.
Sarah said: “When I began the Callow conservation the image was dirty and repainted, in a rather dusty and damaged frame, it was a shadow of what it should have been. The painting has now been restored to its former glory, showing us a beautiful, calm day on the Victorian River Medway.
“This talk will introduce people to the techniques I used to restore and conserve the painting, giving the audience their own ‘repair shop’ experience for an historic version of a familiar Rochester scene.”
The painting dates from 1850 and depicts the medieval bridge shortly before it was replaced with the Victorian bridge.
Archives Manager Alison Cable added: “The crossing pictured was slightly upriver of the bridges we have today, and the Esplanade as we know it did not exist, so while the cathedral and castle make the scene familiar, it is also a very different setting to the river as we know it.
“This lecture aims to bring to life both that historic scene and the physical object of the painting, which has a new lease of life thanks to modern conservation techniques.”
The free lecture will take place on Thursday, 5 September, at 6.30pm promptly, in the Bridge Chapel, Rochester. Doors will open at 6pm, and tea and coffee will be served.
Tickets are limited and must be booked, either online via Eventbrite or by emailing erica@maxim-pr.co.uk
The Rochester Bridge Trust, which provides and maintains the crossings at Rochester at no cost to the public, was founded in 1399 following construction of the medieval bridge.