Tudor Wall Paintings Discovered Beneath Plaster at The Ashes in Cumbria

A bedroom refurbishment in northern England took an unexpected turn when marks beneath the plaster began to resemble eyes, snouts and faces. The owners of The Ashes, a former inn in Cumbria, had uncovered Tudor wall paintings concealed beneath successive layers of finish for almost five centuries.

When did the faces start to emerge?

The couple were removing deteriorating plaster from an upstairs room when they spotted marks that did not look like ordinary staining. As small sections were uncovered, animal heads, foliage, hares and unusually styled human figures began to appear.

Rather than carrying on with the scraping, the owners called in specialists. This was an important choice, as historic paintings can detach with the plaster, react to moisture, or lose pigment during apparently harmless cleaning. The building stands in Endmoor, Cumbria, and was built as a Tudor hunting lodge before later alterations turned it into an inn and home.

What was painted on the walls?

The scheme combines fantastical creatures and plant motifs in decorative compositions. Hares, faces, leaves and hybrid forms produce a setting far removed from the plain surface that had concealed the artwork.

• Animal heads feature among painted branches and foliage.
• Hares fill sections of the design with movement and repetition.
• Strange human faces are interwoven with natural and fantastical forms.
• Fragments suggest that the original decoration extended across a much larger area.

Experts date the paintings to the 16th century. What survives is likely to be only part of a more extensive decorative scheme, broken up by refurbishments, openings and new layers applied throughout the building’s history. Earth pigments in red, black and ochre create lines and filled areas whose survival relies on the stability of the lime and plaster backing.

Why was such elaborate decoration covered up?

Tastes change, rooms acquire different uses, and old surfaces are repaired without regard for what lies beneath them. The paintings may also have been viewed as unfashionable or connected with previous owners, prompting their concealment beneath plaster and paint.

Paradoxically, being hidden helped to preserve them. The layer that removed the figures from sight also shielded them from light, smoke, touch and later interventions, although damp and poor plaster adhesion remained risks. Historic England described the discovery as rare because domestic paintings from this period were often removed, painted over or destroyed during subsequent renovations.

What do the images reveal about the Tudor house?

Wall paintings offered a way to transform interiors before wallpaper became widespread. Natural subjects, creatures and patterns could express residents’ taste, wealth and cultural references, turning a bedroom into an immersive composition.

Modern building work can bring the past to light by removing layers that have remained protected for centuries. Everyday activity can open routes to discovery that planned research may never reach.

Why must restoration proceed slowly?

Stripping away all the covering at once could damage fragile edges or destabilise the pigments. Conservators must assess the materials, moisture and earlier interventions before deciding how much to reveal and how each fragment should be supported.

The urge to see everything is understandable, but preservation demands patience. The faces waited for almost 500 years beneath the plaster. Now that they have reappeared, the priority is not to rush the surprise, but to ensure that they continue to gaze into the room for many generations.