Mary Pintea – News Editor

mvp5879@psu.edu

During a recent kitchen renovation in northern England, a couple discovered a pair of nearly 400-year-old Urals in their one-bedroom apartment. 

Luke Budworth, a research data analyst at the University of Leeds, and his partner Hazel Mooney had temporarily moved out of their apartment in York. At the same time, their new kitchen was being fitted for renovations, with plans to strip the flooring and walls for updating. After stumbling upon it behind a cupboard, the contractors alerted Budworth to the first painting—a mystery that the renovators could have never expected to find…little did the workers know that another artwork would be found too.

 The second frieze was suspected to be paneling covering pipes, but Budworth disagreed, questioning if the paneling was another painting. Budworth’s suspicion proved correct, and the second painting was unearthed. Both friezes measure around 9 feet by 4 feet and were found in a Grade II listed Georgian building dating back to 1747. 

The newly exposed friezes feature a Biblical scene, and after contacting Historic England, a representative was sent to survey and photograph the artwork. The couple was advised by Historic England to cover up the newly discovered frieze to preserve it and was given a high-quality, life-size replica of the artwork after their findings. 

While researching the friezes online, Budworth discovered that they depicted scenes from a 1635 book called “Emblems” by Francis Quarles. According to Budworth, Historic England has confirmed that the paintings were created between 1635 and 1700, when such artwork had fallen out of fashion.

 Although the couple does not have the resources for professional conservation, they plan to preserve the artwork as best they can. Historic England has visited the property and passed images of the paintings to the Conservation of Wall Painting Department at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

 Nevertheless, the discovery of the 17th-century murals has raised questions about the ages of the buildings in the area and the history of Micklegate, York itself, making locals question whether they too could have artwork concealed in their walls.