Lad discovers ‘bonkers’ 400-year-old mural in his flat
Published
| Last updated
It's normal to be walking into someone else's history when you move house, but, what's less normal is happening upon a relic of ancient history that pre-dates the residence itself.
Well, for one unassuming lad, this was definitely the case after he discovered a historic 400-year-old painting of 'national significance' on the wall of his flat.
Totally baffled by the find, the man dubbed the centuries-old mural totally 'bonkers'.
Simply wanting to spruce up his abode a tad and renovate his kitchen, the lad definitely got more than what he bargained for.
Luke Budworth, 29, was shocked to find the ancient friezes at his home in Micklegate, York, north Yorkshire.
It is thought that the paintings may date back to 1660 - older than the flat itself.
Now that's vintage.
Luke, a medical researcher at Leeds University, explained: "The first people to originally find it were the kitchen fitters who saw it under my kitchen cupboard.
"When they found it I know there was a parallel piece of wood on the other side of the chimney that could have the same thing."
He added: "I never thought anything of it before, I thought they were pipes behind it."
Experts believe the wall the scenes are painted are possibly older than the buildings on either side.
Historic England said the paintings may be of national significance and provide insight about the history of the street.
''We always knew there was an odd piece of the wall but just thought the flat was really wonky as it's been a million different things over the years," Luke continued.
The researcher recalled that upon his bizarre discovery, he got 'really excited' and couldn't control himself from trying to get to the bottom of his ancient archaeological find.
He 'grabbed his tools' and instantly 'started ripping it off'.
"At first," Luke admitted, "I thought it was old Victorian wallpaper, but soon I could see it was actually drawn onto the wall of the building next door - so it's older than this building itself."
If the estimations are correct, that the mural does in fact date back to the 1660s, it means that it is around during the 'civil war era'.
Luke said it was 'bonkers' that the mural was already around before huge historical events like 'the great fire of London and things like that'.
The painting in question features scenes from a 1635 book titled Emblems, written by poet Francis Quarles.
Originally from from Warrington, Cheshire, Luke decided to move to York back in October 2020 due to the city's historical significance.
He revealed: "One of the main draws to me living in York was that it's so historical. Now to know that the history isn't just outside it's inside my flat too is amazing."
Luke added that while he is 'very excited' to have found the paintings, they are also somewhat of a 'burden'.
"From what I gather there's no external funding and conservation fees are thousands of pounds," he explained.
In a duty to preserve the mural, Luke has since 'covered them up' so that direct sunlight can't fade their colours.
He added: "We've printed off a high-res version of them and put the replica on top to cover them up.
"Hopefully we can get the word out and see if any societies or PhD students want to do some experimental conservation projects."
Historic England's senior architectural investigator for the north region, said it was an 'exciting rediscovery'.
"We think they are of national significance and in the context of York, where domestic wall paintings are quite rare, they are of special interest," he noted.
A spokesman for Historic England also added: "We think they are of national significance and in the context of York, where domestic wall paintings are quite rare, they are of special interest.''
Talk about a feature wall.
