Ecclesiastical gilding and conservation for Liverpool churches
Long-term decorative and conservation work for parishes across the Archdiocese of Liverpool, including altar gilding, statue conservation and damaged painting repair.
Archdiocese of Liverpool · Merseyside
Gilding · Conservation · Fine art restoration · Faux finishes
North West Murals has worked with the Archdiocese of Liverpool for more than fifteen years on paintings, statues, fresco programmes, mosaics and decorative schemes in active worship spaces.
Projects require careful scheduling around services, reversible methods where conservation standards apply, and finishes that read correctly in candlelit interiors.
In 2015 Kirk Williams MRICS, Surveyor for the Archdiocese Department of Finance and Development, provided a formal letter of recommendation covering seven years of restoration work across the diocesan property portfolio.
Work carried out
- ✓Gold leaf gilding on altars and ecclesiastic ornament, including detailed altar programmes documented in our portfolio.
- ✓Conservation of wooden ecclesiastic statues before and after treatment, with stabilisation of gesso and polychrome surfaces.
- ✓Repair of badly damaged oil paintings, including tears, losses, lining and inpainting where appropriate.
- ✓Marbling and traditional faux effects on architectural joinery using hand-applied techniques rather than film or wallpaper.
Before and after
Drag the slider or use the control to compare condition before treatment with the finished restoration.
- BeforeAfter
Conservation of a wooden ecclesiastic statue
Stabilisation of gesso and polychrome before and after treatment on an ecclesiastic figure for a Liverpool Archdiocese parish.
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Before: Wooden ecclesiastic statue before conservation treatment. After: Wooden ecclesiastic statue after conservation treatment.
- BeforeAfter
Oil painting repaired following surface damage
Station of the Cross panel with paint loss before consolidation and inpainting, and after treatment.
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Before: Oil painting with paint loss before restoration. After: Oil painting after restoration.
- BeforeAfter
Oil painting restored after major damage
Religious painting with large tears, holes and paint loss before treatment, and after restoration, cleaning and retouching.
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Before: Badly torn oil painting with holes and missing paint before restoration. After: Same oil painting after restoration and cleaning.
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Oil painting rescued from fire damage
Station of the Cross detail with smoke and fire damage before treatment, and after cleaning and retouching.
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Before: Oil painting detail before fire damage restoration. After: Oil painting detail after fire damage restoration.
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Wooden statue restored after fire damage
Late nineteenth-century figure in a display case after fire damage, and the same statue after conservation treatment.
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Before: Wooden statue charred after fire damage. After: Wooden statue after fire damage restoration.
- BeforeAfter
Oil painting on wood panel: cleaning and inpainting
Angel figure with gold halo on a wood panel before surface cleaning, and after treatment in the studio.
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Before: Oil painting on wood panel before cleaning and retouching. After: Oil painting on wood panel after cleaning and retouching.
Outcome
- Decorative work that supports liturgical use while respecting historic fabric.
- Documented treatment for church committees and heritage clients.
- Repeat commissions across Merseyside parishes that rely on consistent craft quality.
- Written recommendation from the Archdiocese surveyor stating work is "to the highest standard" and that parishes have "always been impressed with the work produced".
Official site: Archdiocese of Liverpool
Client recommendation
“The quality and skill to which Silvano undertakes his work is to the highest standard and we (myself and the parishes) have always been impressed with the work produced. Silvano always acts professionally and is a pleasure to work with. I would have no hesitation in recommending Silvano to other potential employers.”
Download signed letter (PDF) →
Film and archives
On-site process footage filmed during treatment.
Gilding and inpainting on an oil painting wood panel. Bird finial detail on a panel painting during cleaning and retouching for a Liverpool Archdiocese parish.
Project photography
Altar gilding 
Altar gilding at Our Lady’s, Bryn 
Christ altar gilding 
Oil painting restored after major damage 2015 Archdiocese of Liverpool letter of recommendation for Silvano Cioci-Faux
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