Conserving the ceiling of St Mary’s Church: Grandtully, Perthshire

The ceiling of St Mary’s Church in Grantully, Perthshire, is intricately painted with coats of arms, images of saints, and proverbs, with a central panel depicting what is thought to be the Last Judgement – all in a typical Scottish Renaissance style. Commissioned by Sir William Stewart and Dame Agnes Moncrieff in the 1600s, the ceiling is now the responsibility of Historic Environment Scotland (HES), whose predecessors took ownership of the church in 1944. At that time, the ceiling and roof were in poor condition, and everything had to be treated repeatedly for insect damage and timber rot. Since then, to maintain the ceiling for as long as possible, it has been surveyed every five yea