St Barnabas Church in Nottingham (built 1841–1844) was designed by A.W.N. Pugin. According to historical records, the only area of the cathedral completely decorated by the time of the consecration was the Blessing Sacrament Chapel. However, evidence confirms that all the chapels were decorated soon after. Research shows the cathedral has been redecorated at least seven times. Different decorative schemes were identified, ranging from flat colours to intricate designs.
Cliveden Conservation has been working with Nottingham Cathedral since 2024 to study, document, and reinstate the cathedral's original decoration, after a first phase of on-site research to understand the history of the internal decoration and identify the first scheme. In the current second phase, Cliveden Conservation has been recovering the original designs and colours, opening areas of the original decoration, and based on that information, recreating the full scheme on the east end of the cathedral.
Original paint areas have been conserved and kept visible next to the redecoration. For the redecoration, a large number of stencils were produced following the original designs. Together, the designs complement Pugin’s idea of decorated architectural spaces.
Outline of the Day
Start time: 11:30 am
Lunch break: 1 pm – 2 pm
On site visit: 2 - 3 pm
The day will start with presentations:
- Restoring Pugin Project by Architect Mark Pierce, Pierce Architecture.
- Introduction to the Cathedral's History by Dr Alan Thacker, Research Fellow, Institute of Historical Research, University of London.
- Scientific analysis by Dr Amelia Suzuki, Leverhulme early career research fellow at Nottingham Trent University.
- Conservation and redecoration of the ambulatory and east chapels by Ana Logreira, head conservator of Restoring Pugin Project - Cliveden Conservation.
The second part of the day will be an on-site visit to the cathedral and the scaffold to see the areas that have been worked on.
Capacity: 20 people.
There is an opportunity to visit part of the scaffolding; access is restricted and will take place in small groups (6 to 7 people). For those interested in going up onto the scaffolding, we recommend—whenever possible—bringing suitable footwear, a hard hat, and high-visibility gear.
Location: St Barnabas Cathedral – N Circus St, Nottingham NG1 5AE.
We will meet in the cathedral hall, which can be accessed from either the cathedral itself or Wellington Circus.
The cathedral does not have a car park; however, there are public car parks on Talbot Street, a five-minute walk away.
It is an 18-minute walk from the train station, or you can take the tram.
