Village campaigns to save murals

The murals are disintegrating along with the walls of the church.

A Surrey village is seeking £75,000 in a campaign to repair a set of 19th Century murals at a local church.

The money is needed to fund restoration works at St Martins Church in Blackheath, Guildford.

The religious murals were created between 1893 and 1895 by the American artist Anna Lea Merritt, whose work can be seen in the Tate Gallery.

They are disintegrating along with the walls of the church because of rising damp and leaks from the roof.

Olive Maggs, who is campaigning for the St Martins Appeal Fund, said: "We are caretakers of our heritage and must make every effort to pass it on to future generations in good condition."

The campaign, started by the church along with villagers, will be officially launched at Blackheath's May Day Village Fair.

Anna Lea Merritt is best known for her picture Love Locked Out, which is on display at the Tate Gallery in London.