Nairn Museum’s historic Polish graffiti rescued by BBC The Repair Show team
Two pieces of historic graffiti have been rescued from the attic walls at Nairn Museum and can now be preserved as part of the town’s history.
Volunteers and staff at the museum, at Viewfield House, were delighted to see the artwork - created by Polish soldiers who were stationed in the town during World War II - being transposed from the walls to a new frame as part of the BBC’s The Repair Shop - On The Road, a spin-off of the popular show that sees people’s precious historic objects given a new lease of life.
Although the museum had known of the presence of the graffiti - including a portrait of a woman, a tile-like flower decoration and a rabbit in a bar - for some time, they shared last year how the worsening state of the attic had prompted fears they could be lost.
Museum curator Annie MacDonald said at the time: “It’s quite poignant to see that people have been before. It gives continuity and a sense of belonging.”
Poland’s government-in-exile during the war first set up in France before moving to London, with the vast majority of Polish soldiers sent to live in Scotland.
On the Moray coast there are still the remains of concrete tank defences which the Polish Army Engineer Corps helped build, Polish soldiers also contributing to campaigns such the Battle of Britain and the D-Day landings.
On the show, broadcast last week and still available on BBC iPlayer, plaster expert Richard Fraser joined presenter Dom Chinea in a mission to safely remove the paintings from the wall ahead of essential repair work set to take place at the museum.
The audience was able to follow the extremely delicate process - which involved some sweat and a few tense moments - to cut the pieces out of the wall without damaging them.
Ms MacDonald - who, before the works were finally unveiled in their rescued state, said she wasn’t sure whether she was about to find a “jigsaw” of pieces in front of her - said she was delighted at what the team had been able to achieve.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” she said.
“I didn’t think this could happen. To see them as complete as they are…I wasn’t expecting to see this much!
“This is such a precious piece of history, not just for the museum but for the whole of Nairn. It feels like it’s a secret that we can finally share!”
Staff at the museum had known of the graffiti since at least 2003, when they had a visit from one of the Polish soldiers who had been billetedat Viewfield House during the war.
During the episode Ms MacDonald explained the history behind the artworks and why their preservation was so important.
She said: “I am so proud of the conservation team on getting this artwork out of the attic after 80 years.
“Rich has done an absolutely phenomenal job and I can’t wait to show this to the local and international community, because there are a lot of people in Poland who are descendants of soldiers that were in Scotland, and who have shown interest in this artwork and very much care about it.”
