An artistic response to the restoration of Norwich Castle

Gerard Stamp with his painting on the occasion of its donation in the new atrium at Norwich Castle.

A stunning watercolour by acclaimed Norfolk artist Gerard Stamp, gifted to Norwich Castle, has gone on display. Here, the artist describes the challenge of depicting what was until recently a complex construction site

Christmas has come early to Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery with the gift of a stunning watercolour painting by contemporary British artist Gerard Stamp. The exquisitely detailed painting entitled ‘The Restoration of a Royal Palace (Norwich Castle)’ depicts the interior of Norwich Castle’s Norman Keep during the early phase of building work for the Royal Palace Reborn project. The painting is now on display in the museum’s rotunda for visitors to enjoy.

Gerard, who counts Dame Judi Dench among his many fans, is renowned for the exquisite architectural detail of his work. The artist has long been drawn to historic buildings and the landscapes in which they sit, and his work has been displayed in some of the finest cathedrals in the country. Using light and atmosphere his works convey the feeling of a place, and what Ruskin called the “golden stain of time”. The painting gifted to the Museum earlier this year is, however, a little different from Gerard’s other studies of churches and castles.

The watercolour depicts a fascinating behind-the-scenes view of Norwich Castle Keep at a pivotal moment in the building’s 900-year history. The redevelopment project Royal Palace Reborn, funded by a grant of £13m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players, is re-instating the original Medieval floors and creating accessible learning spaces across five levels. In early 2021, when the project was just getting started, the artist looked around the Castle with Senior Curator of Archaeology Dr Tim Pestell. Back in his North Norfolk studio, Gerard drew on dozens of photographs taken on site to recreate a moment in the construction phase of the project.

The composition is dominated by criss-crossing scaffolding poles which divide up the picture plane. A row of bright yellow safety barriers point to the contemporary construction work taking place in the Norman building. Technically, the painting is based on Gerard’s skilled draughtsmanship. The artist explains he had to simplify the arrangement of scaffolding poles to make space for the viewer to see into the picture. The Victorian-era stone arches were also reduced to fit into the frame

This view of the Keep as a work-in-progress has until now only been available to project staff and construction workers on site, with camera crews and broadcast journalists invited in for special events. Now thanks to the artist’s generosity visitors to Norwich Castle can marvel at the technical feat of the construction project for years to come.

Interior of the Keep taken around the time Gerard visited

Creating such a complex composition was a considerable challenge as Gerard explains: ‘This painting took shape over several weeks and proved to be one of the most challenging compositions I’ve faced. Depicting the complex construction site required a number of artistic interventions, not least a reduction in the size of the Victorian-era Boardman arches. I am delighted the painting will have a permanent home in the Castle Museum’s collections.‘

The restoration of a Royal Palace (Norwich Castle), 2021, Gerard Stamp

John Ward, Chair of the Norfolk Joint Museums Committee, says: ‘The painting is a wonderful artistic response to the project to go alongside all the archive photography and documentation. It is, in itself, a significant addition to our collections. Thank you Gerard!‘

Dr Giorgia Bottinelli, Curator of Historic Art at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery says: ‘We are so grateful to Gerard for his fantastic gift. This stunning watercolour is a unique representation of a truly extraordinary moment in the Castle’s history. By depicting the historic fabric of the Castle Keep with the scaffolding needed in its extensive transformation, it skilfully combines past and present and looks forward to a bright future for the Castle.‘

Currently on display in the Rotunda, there are plans to display the painting inside the transformed Keep when it reopens in 2025.

Visit Norfolk Museums Service, Heritage 2033 – our 10-year strategy – The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Gerard Stamp.

Featured image of Gerard Stamp – supplied by Norfolk County Counil