Medieval-style map of London shines at traditional arts degree exhibition

A remarkable map of central London, styled after a medieval map of Jerusalem, is a highlight of an exhibition showing this year’s graduate work from the School of Traditional Arts.

The Degree Show is an annual celebration of traditional art produced by graduates from the School of Traditional Arts’ two-year MA programme. The artworks are inspired by historic practices from across the world, ensuring that these culturally rich techniques are not forgotten.

This year’s graduates are presenting work in a range of media, including Indonesian batik, Balkan wood carving, Islamic cosmology and geometry, devotional paintings, furniture inspired by the Book of Kells, a Garden of Paradise, and a gathering of medieval beasts.

So, inside Chelsea’s Garisson Chapel, are walls of art with a wide range of styles and materials, from decorative tiles to woodwork and paintings.

There’s a huge variety of works to choose from, and while there’s a sort of loosely religious theme running through the exhibition, it’s not dominant. It’s very much a show off about the skills the students have learned and their versatility with the materials.

And right at the far end is Xia Xia’s New Jerusalem in London, a quite extraordinary rendering of London in a medieval map style.

You can quickly recognise the layout of London, with the River Thames and since-buried River Fleet, the old Roman Wall, and dotted around the key churches she’s chosen to focus on.

Anyone who likes old maps will enjoy this.

Many of the artworks on display are for sale, although fortunately, this one has already been sold as it was so far outside my budget that I really shouldn’t have considered buying it, but the credit card was twitching.

The exhibition, the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts Degree Show is at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea.

The exhibition is free to visit and open until 3rd August 2025. It’s open daily (except Mon) from 11am to 6pm, and closes later at 8pm on Thursdays.

The exhibition is about a 10-minute walk from Sloane Square tube station.

The School of Traditional Arts is part of the King’s Foundation and is based in Shoreditch. The school was founded in 2005 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) as part of The Prince’s Charities group, with the aim “to continue the living traditions of the world’s sacred and traditional art forms”.