In this talk I attempt to show how a visit to a historic monument such as a church or castle can take on a different dimension by looking for examples of ‘unofficial’ embellishments such as inscriptions and carvings, and look at what we can learn about our past through them. We also consider semi-official graffiti, such as mason’s marks and mass dials. I draw on examples from across the country and into Europe. The standards of many of these examples are amazing in comparison with the modern vandal.

Illustrated talk requiring black-out facilities for the room.