Why are so few wall paintings visible in Great Britain ?
In fact there are very many fragmentary wall paintings visible, but these are a tiny fraction of what would originally have been seen. The terrible iconoclasm of the Reformation and the Civil War is responsible for the destruction or covering over of very many of our church wall paintings (as well as so much other figurative art). This was followed by the Victorian desire for plain white walls and bare stone which led to the destruction or covering over of yet another trench of paintings. In domestic buildings, changes in fashion, alterations to buildings and the growth of wall paper are chiefly responsible for the disappearance of wall paintings.
