MEDIEVAL murals in a North Yorkshire church are in line for a £1.5m restoration.

The images of saints, sinners, kings and conquerors have adorned the walls of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul at Pickering, since 1450, and are admired by many pilgrims each year.

But they cannot be seen at their best says the vicar, Fr Antony Pritchett, who has launched the church's Heritage Lottery Fund project Let there be Light.

"We are hoping to get HLF money to help clean and restore the paintings, as well as improve visitor facilities, including improved lighting," he said.

The paintings were covered over at the Reformation and not rediscovered until 1852, only to be painted over again and eventually restored later in the 19th Century.

"They have delighted and thrilled people ever since," said Fr Pritchett. "Visitors enter the church and just gasp at seeing them because they've probably never seen anything like them before.

"Pickering has one of the most complete sets of medieval wall paintings in the country, and increasingly they are being considered one of the most important examples in Northern Europe."

He added: "The new lighting will considerably enhance the paintings and we believe attract many more tourists and pilgrims which will be good for Pickering's economy as a tourist town."

The paintings on the north wall are of St George, St Christopher, John the Baptist, St Edmund and St Thomas of Canterbury, while those on the south wall serve a teaching purpose, depicting the legend of St Catherine of Alexandria, the Corporal Acts of Mercy and the Passion of Christ.

The most striking is the giant figure of St Christopher, opposite the church entrance.