The Former Royal Naval College, Greenwich is one of my longest-standing clients. I have worked there since the days when it was occupied by the Royal Navy. Most of the site has been investigated by me. My work has ranged from paint analysis; through colour measurement in the famous Painted Hall to general paint technical and colour advice.

Royal Naval College – The Chapel is on the left and the Painted Hall on the right

Painted Hall – I measured the paint colours of Thornhill’s mural and produced a paint to match the average for the dado

This shows the dado before and after I had worked on the colour

Royal Naval College – Royal Coat of Arms in the Chapel Vestibule

New Zealand War Memorial

Recently I was asked to examine the carved inscription of the memorial erected in 1864, in memory of the officers and men from the ships Curacoa, Miranda, Harrier, Esk and Eclipse who died in the New Zealand War 1861-63. The question asked of him was whether gilding had ever been employed in the inscription. Although there was no obvious sign it was felt that gilding would have enabled it to be read more easily.

A microscopic examination demonstrated that gilding had been applied originally

It was an early project at Greenwich that caused the most fuss. In 1995 I was asked to examine the perimeter railings around the site. These had been erected in 1869 and were found to have been painted bronze green on the first six occasions. However, when a trial section was painted in this colour there was a public outcry. It took a certain amount of tact and time to point out that this is how they had been painted for the greater amount of their life. I am delighted to say that bronze green is now employed on the site and also around the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House, which are opposite.

Bronze green railings around the National Maritime Museum

Trinity College of Music (another of my clients) is also housed in the Royal Naval College.

(GREENWICH NAVAL COLLEGE)

A British Pathé film clip made in the 1970s – look out for the wonderful footage of the disco and the tee shirt proclaiming that “Sailors Have More Fun”




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