If the walls could speak………..

**View towards the east and the altar, St Mary the Virgin, Newington-next-Sittingbourne, Swale, Kent.**
**Photo: © W Perkins 2022**

Examples of figurative art among graffiti corpora are relatively common but no more straight forward to interpret than some of the more enigmatic ‘abstract’ symbols often found carved into church masonry. A face emerges from the wall of St Mary’s church, Newington-next-Sittingbourne, Kent with the application of raking light to bring out the detail.

**Interestingly, the figurative art is in the oldest part of the church, the chancel, which dates to the 12th century. St Mary the Virgin, Newington-next-Sittingbourne, Swale, Kent.**
**Photo: © W Perkins 2022**

Sometimes there are tantalising clues in the apparel; is the line around the back of the skull meant to represent a hair style or the outline of a cap?Are the lines flowing down either side of the head hair or is it an ear cap? Frustratingly, many of these graffiti images were only ever partially executed or have been weathered or eroded over time.

**Exterior, view to the north-west, St Mary the Virgin, Newington-next-Sittingbourne, Swale, Kent.**
**Photo: © W Perkins 2022**

The MGS Volunteer hand book suggests that many such images are, ‘stylised to the point of caricature’ – this could be also said of this face – which is almost cartoon-like in appearance.

The Lady Chapel, view to towards the chance the chancel. Note Shrine to Robert de Newington on the left and the 14th century parclose screen on the right. St Mary the Virgin, Newington-next-Sittingbourne, Swale, Kent.
**Photo: © W Perkins 2022**

During his survey of the Kent churches, Tatton-Brown thought that, in some cases, the lines may have been preparatory drawings for later wall paintings. The idea that the graffiti figures represent outlines for future painted decoration was taken up by Scott (2018) during a survey of pictorial graffiti recorded in Rochester Cathedral. However, close examination of the graffiti has shown that there was no evidence for ochre or paint caught within the grooves of the graffito. His study also made the argument that it was possible to see a ‘cohesive’ 13th century ‘figurative scheme’ among the Cathedral corpus at Rochester which showed close affinities with those at St Mary’s and also at St Clement’s in Sandwich in the south-east England. The figures may have been done by the same artist (or group of artists) whose sphere of influence may have stretched as far north as St Albans (Scott 2018).