AN APPEAL has been launched for funds to save a series of Christian mosaics in a former Roman Catholic school that is being demolished to make way for new homes in Manchester.
The images, thought to have been created in the 1900s, were a feature of Chorlton Convent School, part of St John’s RC parish. They were covered over with plasterboard in the early 1990s, when the building became Manchester Islamic High School for Girls.
The mosaics were first uncovered by a demolition team in July. A resident sent a picture to a fellow resident of Chorlton, Tracey Cartledge, who works in restoration. Ms Cartledge immediately contacted the local council and Historic England to save the artwork, she told the BBC.
“It’s made of absolutely beautiful Venetian handmade glass, gold leaf, and a very rare recycled mosaic glass that was made in London for a limited period. The whole thing is incredibly precious — not just because of the materials used — but because of the high-quality of the execution of the work.”
Plumlife HomesThe Venetian-glass mosaics, thought to have been made in the 1900s
Cube Homes, which is developing the site, has agreed to pause the demolition. Its managing director, Chris Heath, said that it was now working with Ms Cartledge and residents to find a solution to “the logistical challenges” of the safe removal of the remaining mosaics, and had committed funds for this.
A separate fund-raising page by residents to support this removal, and to restore, preserve, and celebrate the work, has reached more than £4700 of its £5500 target.
“We envision workshops, hands-on activities, and educational opportunities for all ages,” the appeal page says. A final location for the mosaics has yet to be decided.
A former pupil, Ruth Douglass, told the Church Times this week: “Chorlton Convent School holds such special memories for me from the 1980s. . . One thing that stood out was the beautiful mosaic — a piece of history that dates back to the early 1900s. Thanks to local mosaic specialist Tracey Cartledge, we now have the chance to save it. Restoring it will be a big job, but it means so much to us.”
A separate mural at the entrance to the school, thought to have been made much later, and depicting the Madonna and Child, was saved earlier this year after a similar appeal. It has since been removed to St Ambrose College, Hale Barns.