My paint analysis of the house once occupied by George Frideric Handel proved one of the more complex that I have undertaken.  During its many years as an antique shop the interior had been altered substantially and very little original fabric survived.  I was able to identify three elements of the house that would have been known to Handel and from these managed to put together a rationale for its redecoration.

George Frideric Handel by Thomas Hudson (1749)

The scheme, which initially met with some resistance, was one of the first exemplars of early eighteenth century decoration.  While working on this project I also tackled the next-door house, part of which had been occupied by Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s.

The paint colours were specially mixed by Papers and Paints. The grey colour seen in the top image is known as PP6/3/08LKB and can be obtained from Papers and Paints.

Jimi Hendrix kitchen. 23 Brook Street 1969. I carried out the paint analysis of his attic flat and the house below

Cross section of paint on the panelling in the attic of 25 Brook Street – Handel’s House

See a short slideshow of images from before and after the analysis of the paint.

See a guest blog written by Lucy Inglis.


The jumble of panelling that I was faced with when I began the analysis.

A short film clip on the next door Hendrix House can be seen here.

A podcast on Jimi Hendrix from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography can be found here:

Jimi Hendrix – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography




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