Homeowner finds 400-year-old painting of 'national significance' behind kitchen cupboard
Luke Budworth found the paintings in his flat in York, North Yorkshire, during renovation work.
A man renovating the kitchen in his flat was shocked to discover hidden paintings that are 400 years old.
The mural of "national significance" was found inside the home of Luke Budworth, 29, in Micklegate in York, North Yorkshire.
It is believed the friezes inside his flat date back to 1660.
The first piece of the painting was discovered by kitchen fitters who were refurbishing the kitchen at the end of last year.
More paintings were found boarded up below the ceiling on both sides of the chimney.
Government body Historic England said the paintings may be of "national significance" and provide insight about the history of the street outside.
Dr Budworth, a medical researcher at Leeds University, said: "The first people to originally find it were the kitchen fitters who saw it under my kitchen cupboard.
"When they found it I know there was a parallel piece of wood on the other side of the chimney that could have the same thing.
"I never thought anything of it before, I thought they were pipes behind it.
"We always knew there was an odd piece of the wall but just thought the flat was really wonky as it's been a million different things over the years.
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"I got really excited, grabbed my tools and started ripping it off. At first I thought it was old Victorian wallpaper, but soon I could see it was actually drawn on to the wall of the building next door - so it's older than this building itself.
"It's estimated that it's from around the 1660s, so the civil war era."
The painting features scenes from a 1635 book called Emblems, written by poet Francis Quarles.
Dr Budworth hopes to secure funding for conservation work to be carried out on the painting and help discover more about the social history of the area.
"I'm very excited to have found them and loving them, but they're also kind of a burden," he said.
"From what I gather there's no external funding and conservation fees are thousands of pounds.
"I've covered them up for now so direct sunlight doesn't hit them and make them lose their colour.
"We've printed off a high-res version of them and put the replica on top to cover them up.
"Hopefully we can get the word out and see if any societies or PhD students want to do some experimental conservation projects.
"I also hope that this inspires other people on Micklegate start looking at their own walls suspiciously."
Historic England said it was an "exciting rediscovery".
A spokesman for Historic England said: "We think they are of national significance and in the context of York, where domestic wall paintings are quite rare, they are of special interest."
