The Doom Painting.

St Andrews Church, Chesterton, Cambridge, has a well preserved medieval wall painting of the Last Judgement. In the late 1400's an older painting over the chancel arch was replaced by this one. Pictures of the Last Judgement were called "Doom Paintings" and were quite common at the time, but only a very few survive and St Andrew's is one of the best. It was painted around the giant rood (cross) that was the focal point in every parish church before the Reformation, after which none survived in England, although the 'shadow' of the top of the cross, in this church, remains. It is all ,of course, somewhat faded, but when you know what to look for, a great deal of detail can be made out. There are also scenes either side of the arch.