The Traditional Paint Forum

ISSUE 14

FOURTEENTH ISSUE

MAY 2007

SETTING THE SCENE

The Traditional Paint Forum recently held a very successful conference entitled, Setting the Scene, which focused on the long association between the Theatre and paint. Papers delivered during the conference will be published in the Traditional Paint Forum Journal. As part of the conference, delegates had the opportunity on the Saturday to take a walking tour of “London’s theatre land” visiting well known sites such as the Globe Theatre as well as hidden treasures such as the Elms Lester Paint Frame and Wilton’s Music Hall. Helen Hughes of English Heritage has kindly provided a summary of the day’s visits for the benefit of TPF members who were unable to attend.

An impressive party gathered on Saturday morning outside Elms Lester Paint Frame. Most of us confessed that although we all knew this part of London, just off Centre Point, we had never spotted this hidden gem, and we all agreed that one of the joys of London is discovering treasures like this, which have been hiding in full view.

The previous day’s lectures had provided a steep learning curve in the art of scenery design and manufacture which most of us had never really considered. The creation of large canvas backdrops – or cloths - combined the skills of an artist with a scale more commonly tackled by house-painters. We were shown around by Fiona Mackinnon who explained the mechanism of the actual paint frame – basically an enormous stretcher which could move up in the light well and down into the cellar, allowing the painters to remain in a fixed position at ground level. The cloth being prepared during our visit was for yet another production of Mama Mia (apparently there are over twenty versions of this musical being performed all over the world).

The novel space provided a wonderful continuous link with nineteenth-century practise – we could smell the paint. The edges of the floor and the walls were thick with paint splatters. I do intend to return and take some samples to mount in cross-sections – they will be visually stunning. The traditional distemper used to paint backcloths and flats has largely been replaced by modern PVA purpose made paints such as ‘Rosco’ and spray paints.

The survival of this paint frame is due to the owners, who resisted offers from property developers and actually invited English Heritage to consider the building for listing. This instigated a review of ancillary theatre buildings. Sadly other paint frames in the West End were destroyed before they could be listed. The building is maintained by income from film shoots and exhibitions, but priority is given to keeping the paint frame in use and accessible for professional scene painters.

The next hidden discovery was Wilton’s Music Hall in the East End of London. This is another inspiring project which is keeping history alive. We were greeted by Francis Mayhew and were completely entranced by her enthusiasm and story telling skills. Outside the building she recreated a vivid picture of the nineteenth-century scene, a thriving pub on the corner which serviced the locals and the sailors from the nearby docks had been extended in 1858 by the entrepreneur John Wilton to create a Music Hall (and brothel). The main purpose of the entertainments was to keep the customers spending money on food and drink. Wilton had bought up the adjacent buildings and created a theatre in the area formerly occupied by the gardens.

The works were completed within months using a range of odd fittings Wilton could acquire, flagstones stolen from the nearby Georgian square, strange spiral columns (which were probably destined for a more exotic location but never made it onto the ship). The interior resembles a building site, indeed only 40% of the building is structurally sound: but it remains a working theatre. Exposed lathes, bare bricks, wallpaper fragments, junk furniture all contribute in creating a stimulating space which invites further investigation. The gerry-built nature of its construction has left a legacy of structural problems but the actual design of the theatre hall is very good, and today it offers an atmospheric and intimate space for a variety of events.

Wilton’s heyday was in the late nineteenth century the famous song ‘Champagne Charlie’ had its premier performance here. When the Music Halls declined in popularity it was used as a Methodist church but then fell into disuse and was only saved from demolition by the intervention of Sir John Betjeman. Wilton’s is currently staging Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and I took up the kind offer of a discounted ticket and returned in the evening to see the wonderful production. The venue and the performance are receiving great reviews.

The music hall itself has provided the location for several movies and television and dramas. The existing scheme which appears to be ‘as found’ natural decay and the accretions of time, is in fact a recently created ‘fake’ by scene painters who were asked to obliterate the lurid paint effects applied by the last film company. This ‘faked’ distress caused some discussion over lunch.

We then crossed the Thames to lawless Southwark and the Globe Theatre. We were given another entertaining tour by a member of the Globe staff. He was recovering from guiding groups of ‘French teenagers – do not get me started’ and so was delighted to meet such an enlightened group. Timothy Easton’s lecture on the Globe and his involvement into the research behind its current presentation meant we arrived well armed to make a critical assessment of the decorative scheme.

It was evident that there had been ‘a love affair’ with the timber beam construction of the building which perhaps should be hidden behind plaster – but the Globe is clearly attempting to move towards a more exuberant less sanitised atmosphere. To accurately recreate Shakespeare’s Globe would mean flouting all Health & Safety regulations, blocking up fire exits, encouraging urination at the side of the stage and allowing prostitutes to ply their trade in the stairwells – so it would seem churlish to get pedantic over paint issues. We stopped to watch student actors, wrapped in over coats, deliver their lines on the open air stage – and remembered what theatre is all about. It was a wonderful day which complimented the previous papers. Special thanks are due to Saskia Paterson for her meticulous planning.

Learning to conserve our heritage: new training advertised
Icon - the Institute of Conservation – announces 12 unique training opportunities in heritage conservation lasting 12 and 24 months from September 2007.

A £1M grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was given in 2005 to support Icon’s 4-year scheme of on-the-job training in the conservation and restoration of a range of materials and collections across the UK. 1st May 2007 marks the launch of the second of the programme’s four years. Details of other HLF schemes can be seen at
http://www.hlf.org.uk/HLFBursaries

Internships like these increase the availability of skills currently in high demand for conserving our heritage. Training in these areas is very rare and Icon specifically invites new entrants to this sector to apply.

Grant-aided places are offered for 2007/8 in conservation of archives, books, carpets, architectural details, frames, stained glass, ceramics and sculpture, as well as conservation science and collections care. Successful candidates will work alongside experienced conservation professionals in all these fields. Venues include Tate, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland as well as smaller private workshops in Devon, Lincolnshire and Edinburgh.

Icon's Chief Executive Alastair McCapra commented, “Thanks to this scheme and input from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the profession is beginning to lay the foundations for a co-ordinated programme of work-based training in conservation across the UK. We are starting to bridge the skills gap between training and work and encouraging fresh talent into the profession.”

12 MONTHS:
Birmingham – Collections Care (Ref 07/1*)
Devon – Conservation of Carpets (Ref 07/2*)
Edinburgh – Conservation of Stone and Sculpture (Ref 07/3*)
Belfast - Conservation of Archives (Ref 07/4*)
Tate, London – Conservation of Frames (Ref 07/5*)
National Trust, Bristol – Housekeeping and Preventive Conservation (Ref 07/6)
Preston – Conservation of Archives (Ref 07/7*)
Lincolnshire – Architectural Conservation (Ref 07/8)
V&A, London – Conservation of Ceramics (Ref 07/9)
London – Conservation Science (Ref 07/10*)

24 MONTHS:
Wells – Conservation of Stained Glass (Ref 07/11*)
Durham – Conservation of Books (Ref 07/12*)

Hilary Vernon Smith - Head Scenic Artist at the National Theatre has offered an evening behind the scenes at the Theatre. Hilary's intriguing paper, given at our recent conference, revealed little known aspects of paint and technique and this is a great opportunity to see the, usually inaccessible, Royal National Theatre Painting Room in action. Details for this extra event are to be confirmed and if you are interested in receiving details of this event please email info@traditionalpaintforum.org.uk

AN INTRODUCTION TO HISTORIC PAINT TECHNOLOGY
SPAB in association with the Traditional Paint Forum

Date: Friday 9th November 2007
Venue: The Imperial War Museum,
Duxford, Cambridgeshire
Price: £100

This practical one-day technical course aims to provide all interested architects, surveyors, engineers, builders, conservation officers etc with the basics of traditional paint technology.

The course will include practical demonstrations involving the following paints:
Limewash
Soft/glue size distemper
Oil bound water paints
Oil Paints
Some later paints – emulsion, acrylic resin, silicates, etc.

Each demonstration will consider:
Substrate preparation
Constituent materials
Application
Post application Care

The workshop sessions will be supplemented by three illustrated lectures on:
The History of Paint
Substrate compatibility
Cleaning considerations

The price is inclusive of lunch, refreshments and course papers. Further details will be sent out as confirmation of booking, closer to the event.

Please note: Each issue of SMUDGE is written, in turn, by a member of the Traditional Paint Forum, subject to the control of the Committee. The information is provided in good faith. It is not necessarily the view of other members of the Forum; it is offered only as a contribution to the ongoing debate.