In the Parish Bulletin of January/February 2001 we read about the proposal to clean the painting of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that hangs above the high altar of our church.  A conservator of fine art, oil paintings, wall paintings and decorative ornaments was contacted.  He visited our church and studied our painting and assessed the kind of work that will be required, so that he could present an estimate for the cost of that work.

On close inspection, it became very evident that the painting that was erected in 1962, is badly in need of cleaning and attention to ensure its preservation.
 
There were, and still are, two principal reasons why it is important to conserve this painting.   One is that it was painted by the famous Italian painter Pietro Annigoni, in his studio in Florence forty years ago especially for our church.  (Annigoni did a much acclaimed portrait of the Queen and was referred to after that, at least for a time, as a Royal portrait painter.)  It arrived in England just after Easter 1962 and it took a week to prepare the frame, and with the use of scaffolding and tackle, raise the picture to its exalted position above the high altar.  This delicate operation was carried out by workmen from the National Gallery under the expert eye of Annigoni who supervised this and the framing of the picture in a frame specially treated to preserve the picture from damp and other atmospheric extremes."

The second reason is the size of the painting*.   It is believed to be the largest canvas of the Madonna in the world.
 
Now in 2007, we are have undertaken to have this wonderful painting of the Immaculate Heart of Mary restored.  The restoration is being carried out by IFACS (International Fine Art Conservation Studios Ltd) and will be completed by the end of February.

It is a great tribute to the parishioners of the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary who have helped raised the necessary funds.  Our particular thanks go to Patrick Joseph Farrell who left a legacy of ?10,000 towards this endeavour.

We hope that this beautiful piece of art will continue to inspire well into the future.