When visitors arrive in Salisbury their first port of call is the magnificent cathedral. Vey few will have heard of, or plan to visit, the medieval church of St Thomas in the centre of town. They will miss a very special work of art.
In English churches images of what is usually called The Last Judgement are known as 'Dooms', showing what will happen on Doomsday. Dooms were a common feature until the reformation, when most were destroyed or whitewashed over. Luckily the effect of whitewash was, very often, to preserve the wall painting underneath. This was the case in St Thomas's church. The doom over the chancel arch was painted c1475: by 1593 it had been painted over. It was uncovered and restored in 1881. A fragile image, it underwent an expensive restoration in 2019 and is now back to its former glory. This is the finest surviving doom in the country.
The left side of the Doom, which is the right hand of Christ. Here, the resurrected are ushered into Heaven.
The right side of the doom, Christ's left hand. The doomed are forced into Hell.
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