External News and Events
Presentation Day - 'Milton Keynes’ Medieval Heritage: Exploring the Unique Wall Paintings of St. Mary's Chapel, Bradwell Abbey'
Academics and local speakers discuss the importance of the 14th century wall paintings at Bradwell.
The event will be held at Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, MK13 9AP.
Our Programme, Sunday 12th September:
12-1pm Chapel open for viewing. Digital fly-through and image collection relating to the medieval monastic complex playing in the Cruck Barn
1-2pm Paul Woodfield, and Ann Ballantyne
2-2:30pm Brief lunch break (Food stalls and picnic area available) and another chance to view the chapel paintings.
2:30-3:30pm Professor Richard Marks and Professor Miri Rubin
3:30-3:45pm Formal Q&A session with all our speakers
3:45pm Drinks reception and a chance to mingle informally with our guests and speakers
4:30pm Close.
The charity oversees a medieval site in the heart of Milton Keynes including a fourteenth century pilgrimage chapel which has survived from the Benedictine monastic complex, founded c. 1155. The chapel was built onto the west wall of the priory church around 1350 to enclose a niche containing a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary and became a site of pilgrimage. The chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Bradwell and contains late fourteenth century wall paintings showing episodes from the Life of the Virgin and a unique scene showing pilgrims carrying votive offerings to a shrine. This scene is not found in any other extant wall painting in the UK and is therefore a survival of national importance.
Admission to the lectures and drinks reception costs £8 each and includes a glass of wine or juice and a selection of canapés. Your support will help us raise funds for the upkeep of the chapel and its extraordinary paintings for future generations to enjoy. This is a wonderful chance to hear talks by experienced local speakers and academic experts among the beautiful medieval remains of Bradwell Priory. We hope you will join us to celebrate our shared local heritage and broaden your understanding of art and society in medieval England.
In addition to this, MKCDC is holding a free ‘Family Fun’ event throughout Sunday from 11am-4pm. This will feature archery, falconry, re-enactors, hog roast, and stalls selling crafts and local produce.
Our speakers:
Paul Woodfield, Conservation Officer for Milton Keynes Development Corporation in the 1970s
Paul will be talking about the medieval background of the Bradwell Abbey site and discussing some local finds related to the monastic complex there.
Ann Ballantyne FIIC ACR Conservator of Medieval Wall Paintings
Ann was part of the original team of experts who uncovered and began restoring the paintings after their discovery in the 1960s. Ann worked on the site as an assistant to Dr. E. Clive Rouse during the summer of 1967 and again in 1977 and has extensive experience with conserving medieval wall paintings.
Richard Marks, Professor of the History of Art, University of Cambridge
Professor Marks will be lecturing on the way art functioned in the medieval religious sphere; how images expressed and encouraged devotion and why small scale local pilgrimage was so important during the Middle Ages. The function of these artefacts in society rather than their style and aesthetic qualities will be brought to the fore.
Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History, Queen Mary, University of London
Professor Rubin has extensive knowledge of the role and representation of the Virgin Mary from the beginnings of the Christian faith right up to the modern day. She will guide us through the development of the Cult of the Virgin which became a devotional focus in the Middle Ages and which manifested itself in the pilgrimage chapel here at Bradwell.
Contact and further information details: Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre
information@mkcdc.org.uk or education@mkcdc.org.uk 01908 227229
www.mkcdc.org.uk
Event details
- 'Milton Keynes’ Medieval Heritage: Exploring the Unique Wall Paintings of St. Mary's Chapel, Bradwell Abbey'
- Location: Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, MK13 9AP.
- Date: Sunday, 12th September 2010
Academics and local speakers discuss the importance of the 14th century wall paintings at Bradwell.