DECORATORS working inside Skipton Town Hall have uncovered long forgotten wall frescoes of the town crest.

So far, two wall paintings have been discovered behind layers of wallpaper on the main public staircase of the listed building.

It is not known for sure how old they are and whether they are true frescoes - an ancient technique of painting directly onto wet plaster - but it is believed they could be a hundred years old.

Craven District Council, which is carrying out a major refurbishment of the building, including the replacement of much of the roof, says it hopes to retain the murals in some way.

Danielle Daglan, the council's programming and venue development manager, said: “‘We are still undertaking research, but our current thinking is that the crests were painted during a redecoration sometime in the early 1900s after the Urban District Council purchased the building in 1895. The crests are an interesting part of the town hall’s history and our local story, and as such we’re investigating ways to replicate or lift out the plasterwork for restoration and use in within our interpretation of the building and its heritage.”