An unusual addition has been made to a 17th century wall painting in Lincoln Cathedral.
Rare update to historic wall painting celebrating bellringers
Jeremy Wheeldon, Master of the Company of Ringers of Lincoln Cathedral, has had his name added to the wall of the Ringers’ Chapel, continuing a tradition that spans the centuries.
The Company of Ringers at Lincoln Cathedral is the oldest to have a continuous history of ringing. It was founded in 1612 with letters patent being issued in 1614 which also granted the company use of the chapel at the foot of the southwest tower of the Cathedral, which is today known as the Ringers’ Chapel.
The east wall of this chapel is covered with a 17th century wall painting recording the names of the Masters of the Company of Ringers. The earliest date shown is 1614, but the original painting, which is still visible underneath, dates from the 13th century. The practice was revived in 1913 following restoration of the Ringers’ Chapel and continues to the present day.
Jeremy has been Master of the Company of Ringers at Lincoln Cathedral since 2015 and has been ringing regularly at the Cathedral for 27 years. He learned bellringing as a teenager in the 1980s under the tutelage of former Master Jack Millhouse, whose name also appears on the wall.
Jeremy said
“It is such a great honour to see my name added to the wall in the Ringers’ Chapel, alongside such notable ringers, and to see this tradition continued. It’s incredible.”
Jeremy’s name has been added in the same style as the previous additions by Jay Chapman, a signwriter based in Newark. Jay usually works in oil paints and enamel, but for this job special breathable water-based paint was sourced as he was painting directly onto the lime plaster.
Jay has been a signwriter since he left school and completed his training at Huthwaite College in Sutton. The varied job sees him paint everything from shop signs to vintage vehicles and even giant underwater hoses; but Jay admits that painting in a cathedral is rare.
“I love working on quirky numbers like this; it’s great because I’m never going to do this again and there’s going to be a piece of my work in the Cathedral for years and years to come, long after I’ve gone.”
He also added that it is rare to meet the person whose name he is writing, “It’s so nice to meet Jeremy, it so seldom happens. I do lots of honours boards and it’s very rare I meet the face behind the name.
“Jeremy’s name’s there forever now – it’s not going anywhere.”
Planning for the new addition has included visits to the Cathedral to measure the space and creating drawings and templates of what the finished name will look like. Jay explains that it is important that the new lettering blends in well with what is already there, “To match the style of the existing lettering we have taken lots of photos and have picked the best letters for Jeremy’s name. Lots of the letters on the wall are completely different so we have taken the best ones for this particular name.
Each signwriter leaves a little of their own style in each name – that’s their signature. I’m trying to recreate the look, but with a tiny bit of me in it.”
The bellringers ring the bells at the Cathedral every Sunday, as well as on special occasions such as weddings, to mark the New Year and for special civic celebrations. The full team of ringers comprises 16 full time members plus additional ringers who join occasionally, plus those who are currently learning the skill.
Anyone interested in joining the bellringing team, please email: lincoln.cathedral@cb.ldgcb.org.uk
