A unique wall painting has been discovered in St Andrew's Church, Timbsury. It came to light when a memorial fell off the wall just above the door.

The Vicar, the Revd Bruce Kington, called in Roger Harris, who lives in Timbury, to collect the pieces and restore the memorial. A retired sculpture restorer, Roger Harris, was senior conservator working on the sculpture on the west wall of Wells Cathedral and a consultant at Lincoln Cathedral.

He repaired the Timsbury memorial and was preparing to replace it when he realised the wall painting showed gabled, timber framed buildings, which is what makes it unique. He says that wall paintings in medieval churches tended to show biblical scenes and one of the subject sometimes chosen was the entry of Mary and Joseph into Jerusalem. In these, Jerusalem is shown with stone building, but Roger wonders if the painting in Timsbury Church is a medieval painter's idea of Jerusalem, showing buildings, he has seen in Romsey. Roger says he is hoping that when the painting is uncovered it will reveal a a view of Romsey Abbey.

Dating from the Middle Ages, probably the 14th or 15th century, the painting would have covered the whole of the inside of the church he says. St Andrews is thought to be early Norman.

Roger has searched all the text books and can find nothing like the St Andrews' painting. Townscapes do appear, he says, but they show stone buildings.

Timsbury is very lucky to have a wall painting, he says. Medieval churches may have had every spare inch of wall covered in paintings but come the Reformation they fell out of favour.

This wall painting was probably covered in lime wash, which was the cheap option. "There are places where the good people of the parish scraped the paintings off the wall," Roger says. The Victorians did their share of damage, too. They liked to see bare stone walls and so took off the plaster which covered, but also protected, the wall paintings.

Roger's next task is to see how far the painting extends by scraping away little patches of the lime wash to see what's underneath. Once he has established the extent of the painting he will discuss the next step with the Parochial Church Council. If he finds that the painting is extensive and that the lime wash should be removed the permission of the Diocesan Advisory Council will be sought so that the work can go ahead.

See pictures in this week's Advertiser.