Cromwell's legacy damages tomb of Black Prince

Stained glass windows overlooking the tomb of Edward, Prince of Wales, were destroyed by Puritan iconoclasts in the 1640s, allowing damaging UV rays to enter the cathedral unfiltered. Since then, clear replacements have been installed and the deterioration of the paintwork on the 14th century canopy surrounding the prince's resting place has continued.

The brilliant colours of the artworks that look down on the bronze figure of the prince are fading rapidly and the red pigment used by the original artists is turning black.

In a bid to halt the centuries of damage, restoration experts have now installed a huge blind to shield the artworks from harmful rays and created a system for regulating the humidity.

Leonie Seliger, the head of stained glass at the cathedral, said: "As far as we know this is the first time in the world that such preventative measures have been adopted.

"The information from the sensors is relayed onto a computer within the cathedral precincts 24 hours a day, and then the results are sent off for analysis.

"Just a few degrees of temperature change can drastically affect the humidity levels so we are constantly on watch so that light levels can be adjusted via the blinds and temperatures controlled."

The tomb of the Black Prince is one of the most popular sites within the ancient cathedral - parts of which date back to the 11th century.

Edward, Prince of Wales, was nicknamed the Black Prince after he was handed a black breastplate to celebrate his courage in battle. Aged just 16, Edward commanded a heavily-outnumbered English force against the French at the Battle of Crécy, and was known throughout his father's reign as a great military hero. The prince died in 1376, aged 45, before he could take the throne and his son Richard became king a year later.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6485858/Cromwells-legacy-damages-tomb-of-Black-Prince.html