tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52349057151140212502024-03-21T13:00:59.993+00:00News from ColourmanA commentary by Patrick Baty, of Papers and Paints, on recent work that he has undertaken. Thoughts on architectural paint and colour based on 30 years experience.Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-29389833495651069482010-12-10T19:03:00.018+00:002010-12-14T09:28:24.199+00:00So what do you do?<center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif"></a></center><br /><br />I have been nursing a secret for some weeks, but Google has found me out so I thought that I had better come clean.<br /><br />To those of you who have got to know me on Twitter you might be surprised to learn that for many years I kept a very low profile. I flattered myself that the quality of my work would get me passed from client to client and besides, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of self advertisement. It did, up to a point, but I was seldom employed at full stretch. Similarly, I thought that the magazines would be interested in what I did, but with a few exceptions, they never were.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1231.snc4/156374_1475939387194_1495004822_30989480_2579468_n.jpg"></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><font style="font-weight: bold;">The View from the Shop Window</font><br />Thank you RBK&C, just what we needed<br /></div><br />The harsh realities of trying to cope with price rises from suppliers, mounting business rates, Corporation Tax and all those other things that a small shopkeeper is faced with began to bite. On top of this was the dramatic decline in business due to the Congestion Charge. Those customers who did drive in to Chelsea to buy paint were then preyed upon by the wardens who emerge from the newly-opened Parking Control office opposite my shop. The increasing piracy of our paint colour ranges, whilst flattering, further eroded our financial stability. For all these reasons I turned to Social Media to tell people what I did and how my company - <b><a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a></b> - is so different from every other paint shop.<br /><br />Blogging, micro-blogging, <b><a href="http://twitter.com/patrickbaty">Twitter</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Papers-and-Paints/74429043575">Facebook</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">LinkedIn</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperspaints/">Flickr</a></b> and <b><a href="http://colourman.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a></b> are all manifestations of this campaign to let people know what I do, but there was still a gap.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1231.snc4/156331_1475939187189_1495004822_30989478_8192000_n.jpg"></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><font style="font-weight: bold;">So what do you do?</font><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><font lang="EN-GB">©</font> Jorge Cham 2010<br /></p></div><br />Never able to fully explain what I do when asked at parties I had been thinking of putting together a website but had no idea who to contact and how to go about it. Fortunately this is where Twitter showed its true worth, for in the past year or so I have come to meet a wonderful group of supremely-talented like-minded individuals. Many have been hugely supportive, but two in particular have come to my rescue and have built a website that shows what consultancy services I offer and the enormous number of projects that I have tackled in the last 20+ years.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs715.snc4/63565_1475939267191_1495004822_30989479_6749492_n.jpg"></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><font style="font-weight: bold;">Unlaunched website already placed fourth on page one</font><br /></div><br />Perfectionist that I am I was hoping to do some more tweaking and fiddling, tagging and linking before letting the world know, but as you can see from the Google page above I have been found out.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs433.snc4/47588_1475955427595_1495004822_30989501_8036331_n.jpg"><br /></div><br /> The last year has seen the rise and rise of <b><a href="http://www.georgianlondon.com">Lucy Inglis</a></b>: she now has a contract with Penguin and <b><a href="http://www.penguinrights.co.uk/Penguin/275195">her book</a></b> is due out in Spring 2012 and there are rumours of more in the pipeline!<br /><br />Recently appointed Blogger-in-Residence at the <b><a href="http://www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/a-blogger-in-residence-for-the-museum-of-london/">Museum of London</a></b> she has also had articles and reviews published by such august publications as <b><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts-and-culture/touching-from-a-distance/6322388/history-the-cult-of-celebrity-in-georgian-england.thtml">The Spectator</a></b> and the <b><a href="http://www.ribajournal.com/index.php/feature/article/strawberry_hill_forever_APRIL/">RIBA Journal</a></b>.<br /><br />Her talents are not limited to her skill with words for she has a great sense of design and is very handy with new-fangled technology. I am indebted to Lucy for her vision and for the huge amount of time that she has spent in setting up my new website.<br /><br />But even Lucy could not have managed to get the ideas on the screen without the hugely able <b><a href="http://www.simonsurtees.com/">Simon Surtees</a></b>. He and Lucy had worked on websites before and are a wonderful team.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1360.snc4/163295_1475955307592_1495004822_30989500_3785488_n.jpg/"><br /></div><br />Simon listened to what we were trying to do and recommended a suitable platform before building the whole thing. His abilities and patience are considerable. Not content with the first model he has continued to amend and improve it, trying new ideas and bringing over ten years experience of digital technology to bear on it.<br /><br />Poor Simon had no idea of the hundreds of projects that I had undertaken and the need for quite a complex site with the ability to link them all together. With good humour he continued adjusting the framework to cope with the content. Simon was an amazing find and is the perfect person to help improve online presence.<br /><br />I can honestly say that I’m thrilled with the result and feel sure that I needn’t be lost for words of explanation again. I am profoundly grateful to have met and to have become great friends with two very special people – thank you Twitter.<br /><br />This will be the last blog that I post to Blogger. It's been a good vehicle for putting my points across, but as the new site has been built on Wordpress the blog function has been built into it. If you are subscribed to this blog, you should continue to receive notifications of new posts automatically.<br /><br /><center>The new site is <b><a href="http://www.patrickbaty.co.uk">www.patrickbaty.co.uk</a></b></center><br /><br />I welcome your continued interest.<br /><br />*rushes off to continue tagging and tweaking before too many people visit*<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg"><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-12517169952919538872010-11-03T10:32:00.012+00:002010-12-06T07:22:16.229+00:00Limewash versus Paint - An Urban View<center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs452.ash2/72565_1434071580525_1495004822_30921292_2824682_n.jpg" title="Limewash on a small house in the Algarve, Portugal" alt="Limewash in the right context" /></center> <center>Limewash: <b>Yes!</b></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />Softened by the sun, grappa and holiday spirit it seemed such a good idea to use limewash on returning from the Mediterranean.<br /><br />Limewash has several winning features but a universal coating it is not. What may work in the Tuscan hills will invariably rebound in South Kensington and any attempt to simulate it on a London exterior will fail. However, in certain cases where the light and conditions are just right, this cheap and relatively simple treatment provides an efficient and attractive means of decoration.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs478.ash2/75189_1434071260517_1495004822_30921290_1975842_n.jpg" title="Limewash on the facade of an 18th century London house" alt="An ill-considered use of limewash that calls attention to itself" /></center><center>Limewash: <b>No!</b> </center><br /><br />Limewash should not be considered for use over previously painted surfaces or for wood, metal or plastic. Bare plaster, render or brick (in certain circumstances) are the typical substrates that it works best on, but only when one accepts that maintenance will need to be more regular and that a conventional paint system cannot be applied in the future.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs889.snc4/72279_1434071100513_1495004822_30921289_533148_n.jpg" title="An effect using masonry paints designed to suggest limewash on a London house" alt="Patrick Baty believes that this is both alien to traditional practice and pretentious"></center> <center>“Mock Limewash”: <b>No!</b></center><br /><br />While on a negative theme – please don’t even consider it for your drawing room walls, however much you favour the ‘faded palazzo’ look. If you want that go for a <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010/10/last-thirty-years-i.html">broken colour paint effect</a> using glazes or washes of conventional emulsion. Limewash can be employed in an urban house; indeed we at <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> receive many enquiries from the owners of such properties. However, its uses are limited. Under no (well, very few) circumstances should the brick façade be painted – one either has unpainted brick which ought to be left as it is or an existing masonry paint on which limewash will not ‘stick’.<br /><br />On the other hand, a garden wall may well be given a coat <u>or three</u> of limewash and is often the best thing to use on a wall without a damp-proof course. The slightly damp walls of an unconverted basement can also be coated with limewash. The brilliant white nature of the untinted form can help brighten up a grim coal-hole very effectively whilst allowing moisture to pass through it. Similarly, the crumbly brick walls in an unconverted attic can be consolidated and the space lightened with a couple of coats of white limewash.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs477.ash2/75084_1434071340519_1495004822_30921291_2332749_n.jpg" title="Limewash applied to a modern gypsum plaster" alt="This was applied in order to catch the light in a new-built glazed extension"></center> <center>Limewash on a Modern Extension</center><br /><br />In this example it was used on the newly-plastered walls of a glazed side extension. The crystalline nature of limewash catches the light beautifully and produces a wonderful effect quite different to that of a conventional emulsion paint. However, be warned it does mark easily and cannot be washed down - as the historic tide mark at high-chair level attests.<br /><br />Only consider the use of limewash if you are seriously committed and have done your research. Don’t expect your painter, let alone builder, to understand what you have in mind. Almost certainly this will be something that you will have to make and apply. However, if you get it into your head that it is difficult you will be surprised at how easy it really is.<br /><br />There are several companies selling ready-mixed limewash, though as it is over 90% water, consequently bulky and not easily transported it might be worth making it from scratch. The level of commitment required to make it yourself is half the battle and having carried out the necessary homework a more satisfactory result is likely.<br /><br />The dense clay-like <i>lime putty</i> from which it is made can be obtained from a few specialist suppliers. We have been selling small quantities for over twenty years. This will need to be mixed well with water to the consistency of milk. Naturally white, limewash can be tinted to a limited number of colours, the palette dictated by the few pigments that remain unaffected by its high alkalinity. However, one needs to be fairly relaxed about the exact shade and there is little point in trying to obtain a perfect match. Later reproduction can be difficult and it always helps to make more than is needed. Limewash should be stored in an area free from frost, stirred before use and reapplied when necessary.<br /><br />Whether bought ready-mixed or home made you must be aware of its caustic nature while wet. It can burn the skin and is dangerous to the eyes. This necessitates the use of goggles and rubber gloves while working with it. If you are not going to apply it yourself it is important that the painter understands the health and safety implications.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NRrnEcewakk&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NRrnEcewakk&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object><br /><br /><center>A short flim clip that shows how limewash is applied</center><br />Limewash does not present the ease, convenience and durability of conventional paint, but if you are prepared to put up with the difficulties of preparation, application and living with it, limewash is a truly remarkable coating of great character and beauty.<br /><br />ps As an aside, the use of masonry paint is not without it's own problems, especially if it is applied <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010/10/green-paint-red-face.html">at the wrong time of year</a> or if <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010/10/black-paint-red-faces.html">unnecessary demands are made of it.</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-82834392975676641092010-10-31T13:13:00.031+00:002010-12-06T07:46:37.380+00:00The Last Thirty Years - I<center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs005.ash2/33605_1430419009213_1495004822_30913424_8207282_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />“You will not take up your appointment in <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman">Oman</a></b> - I want you to run an Army Youth Team in Northampton”<br /><br />With those words my <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.e._lawrence">Lawrence</a></b>-like dreams were over and I realised that my military career had effectively come to an end.<br /><br />What to do? Apart from a vague knowledge of <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_Town_Group">early 20th century British art</a></b> I knew nothing other than soldiering. However, six months working for a Bond Street dealer told me that a career in fine art was not the away ahead. In spite of enjoying the early stuff I certainly didn’t understand works such as those of <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Beuys">Joseph Beuys</a></b> which made selling them quite a problem. Felt and lard I can deal with, but not in connection with 'art'.<br /><br />A chance meeting with a fellow <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yVLTfimhYI">cavalryman</a></b> led to a brief period of picture-framing. Initially this was merely collecting and dropping off works that my colleague had framed but slowly I took on much of the work myself - operating in the shed at the back of my father’s shop premises in Chelsea. My wife, Alex, and I taught ourselves to <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilding">gild</a></b>, and we began to paint frames too, experimenting with some of the paint effects that had begun to be popular in the late 1970s. However, it became clear that picture-framing was unlikely to support a family so I had to think again.<br /><br />Slowly it dawned on me that I was ideally placed. My father had started <b><a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a></b> twenty years before, after a similarly frustrated early career - this time in the family wine business. However, over the years he had put together a company with a strong reputation for service and expertise. His skills as a colour-matcher were legendary and I started to pick up some very useful tips. Tall and spare, with his half-moon glasses he might initially have appeared rather daunting and certainly not the typical owner of a paint shop but he had built up a very loyal clientele and had become a local institution.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs980.snc4/75320_1430418729206_1495004822_30913423_4470797_n.jpg" title="Robert Baty ca.1985"></center><br /><br /><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distemper_%28paint%29#Soft_distemper">Distemper</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.dotapea.com/english/saponification.htm">saponification</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.hirshfields.com/psi_folder/psi_flash.html"> “flashing”</a></b> (goodness, what was that?) were all words that entered my vocabulary. If ever paint could be described as exciting, I had come into it at the right moment. It was being seen that walls didn’t have to be flat and two-dimensional, that ‘movement’ could be imparted by the layering of coloured translucent glazes with brushes and sponges. We were entering the period of “Paint Effects” and my father, Robert Baty, was in the thick of it.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs977.snc4/77035_1446113881575_1495004822_30938516_8378842_n.jpg" title="Flashing occurs when an oil-painted surface is ‘over-worked’ during application. The finish will appear slightly different especially if viewed at an a angle. "></center>Pa had been colour-matching objects brought into him for many years – initially making adjustments to existing colour formulations and then devising new colours. Old flakes of paint; wallpaper; fabric; carpet (tricky) and obsolete colour cards being items that were brought in on a daily basis. Slowly I was introduced to the dark arts and (under careful supervision) learnt how to match colour and how to cope with what I later learnt was called <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamerism_%28color%29">metamerism</a></b> – the phenomenon of coloured surfaces appearing differently under varying light conditions.<br /><br />I also learnt how to listen to what customers wanted; to try to unravel some fairly complex thought processes at times. It was always good to have a clear request, such as...<br /><br /><center><i>"I want an emulsion the colour of the walls of the <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City">Forbidden City</a>"</b></i><b></b></center><br /><br />...perhaps one of the more memorable of these.<br /><br />A few of the sharper observers of the human condition have picked up on this kind of exchange:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs288.snc4/40751_1430428689455_1495004822_30913435_1067550_n.jpg" title="The Gambols by Roger Mahoney"></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs894.snc4/72780_1430428849459_1495004822_30913436_7167980_n.jpg" title="The Gambols by Roger Mahoney"></center><br /><br />Writing from Samoa in October 1892, to a colleague in London, <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Louis_Stevenson">Robert Louis Stevenson</a></b> expressed very well a typical request that we at <b><a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a></b> hear on the telephone every day:<br /><br /><i>"Perhaps...it might amuse you to send us any pattern of wall paper that might strike you as cheap, pretty and suitable for a room in a hot and extremely bright climate... The room I have...in mind is a sort of bed and sitting room, pretty large, lit on three sides, and the colour in favour...is a topazy yellow. But then with what colour to relieve it ? For a little work-room of my own at the back, I should rather like to see some patterns of unglossy - well, I'll be hanged if I can describe this red - it's not Turkish and it's not Roman and it's not Indian, but it seems to partake of the two last, and yet it can't be either of them because it ought to be able to go with vermilion. Ah what a tangled web we weave - anyway, with what brains you have left, choose me and send me some - <b>many</b> - patterns of this <b>exact</b> shade."</i><br /><br />In time one learnt how to deal with the manifold problems of colour and (more importantly) colour perception.<br /><br />The new world of “Paint Effects” was scary by comparison, for a third dimension was introduced into the world of colour. Not only was a knowledge of the techniques of applying the paints and glazes necessary, but one also had to understand what would happen when one colour was overlaid by another.<br /><br />Quite why we started to tint glazes for customers I don’t recall – presumably in order to be helpful, and maybe because it was assumed that we could. This was fine in theory and worked surprisingly well until faced by the occasional customer who would buy the glaze but not the undercoat – preferring to “get it later” (i.e. buy it elsewhere). That’s an accepted problem faced by any small specialist – one gives advice but often for no return (you may find me returning to this theme again and again). However, it did become a nuisance when some of those same people would come back and claim that the glaze was incorrectly coloured and “could we adjust it?” We soldiered on for a while, but had to give up tinting glazes as there was never any guarantee that the customer would listen let alone comply with our recommendations.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs970.snc4/76349_1430949702480_1495004822_30914872_6068137_n.jpg" title="Paint Magic, by Jocasta Innes. Perhaps the best known of the books on 'Paint Effects'."></center><br /><br />I remember attending a week-long course in specialist painting at Vauxhall College with a couple of young would-be painters straight out of finishing school and a number of bemused apprentices. We were under the tutelage of a wonderful character who had been 'on the brushes' for the best part of fifty years. What a great experience to learn from an old-fashioned painter who had started work before the War! I was taught about <i>floggers</i>, <i>draggers</i> and <i>softeners</i> and how to mix the perfect <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megilp"><i>megilp</i></a></b>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs489.ash2/76204_1434108221441_1495004822_30921307_4337611_n.jpg" title="A 'Flogger', 'Dragger' and 'Badger Hair Softener'. These are all made by Whistler."></center><br /><br />He obviously taught me well because within a couple of years I was approached by the first of a long line of publishers and commissioned to edit or even ghost-write some of the stream of books on specialist painting that came out in the 1980s and early 1990s. I was particularly delighted to help with the revision of perhaps the best known - <i>Paint Magic</i> by Jocasta Innes, which is still available. I might, however, have been a wee bit hard on the first edition as she obliquely indicates in her thanks:<br /><br /><i>"First a big thank you to <b><a href="http://www.screentweet.com/5X0oUGQ">Patrick Baty</a></b>, of <b><a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a></b></i><b></b>, whose unsparing critique and great erudition helped blast the project off its launch-pad."<br /><br />(To be continued...we start to employ staff...)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /><br />Credit<br />Desert photograph by permission of <a href="http://www.freenaturepictures.com/desert-landscapes-pictures.php">http://www.freenaturepictures.com/desert-landscapes-pictures.php</a><br /><br />Gambols cartoon - <a href="http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/artists/rogermahoney/biography">Roger Mahoney</a>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-91450741199867779182010-10-30T23:53:00.019+01:002010-12-06T08:19:08.036+00:00Green Paint – Red Face<center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs838.snc4/69820_1430193763582_1495004822_30913141_4862891_n.jpg" title="A classic example of 'Surfactant Leaching'. Note the 'runs' on the left hand side." alt="This is what happens if you paint the exterior when the conditions are not right." /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />Background<br />A complaint about masonry paint that we had supplied had prompted me to write up an earlier problem (<a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010/10/black-paint-red-faces.html"> Black Paint – Red Faces </a>). On that occasion airborne dirt settling on the façade of a newly-painted house had led a client to threaten us with legal action.<br /><br />However lessons learned during this recent ‘situation’ have been sufficiently useful that I felt that they ought to be more widely known and understood. The account is also another reflection on human nature and the difficulties of trying to run a small business.<br /><br />Paints are very sophisticated blends of numerous ingredients, which all serve a purpose. If applied properly the results are usually good and a durable attractive finish results. However, it is very important to follow the guidelines otherwise there can be problems. This is especially true when painting exteriors.<br /><br />On this occasion our client had ordered a tin of masonry paint for the external detail of her West London house. The colour that she wanted was our <i>Shop Front Green</i> – so named because we developed the colour for the exterior of<a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a> some 25 years ago.<br /><br />The paint was collected at the end of September.<br /><br />The Complaint<br />While on a brief half-term holiday in Portugal I had a call from the Shop to say that we had a problem. The paint that we had supplied was “streaking badly” and that the client wanted us to make a site visit to explain what was happening. I listened to the facts and then telephoned the client to explain what I thought might be the cause of her difficulty. The gist of my response was that an early October with indifferent weather was perhaps not the best time to paint an exterior.<br /><br />However, I failed to convince her and was told that I had been both patronising and had failed to take her complaint seriously. Furthermore, in her twenty years experience as an interior designer she had never encountered such a problem.<br /><br />It was inevitable that I would receive an email shortly after my return inviting me to visit the property with a suggestion that Trading Standards would become involved if I failed to do so. Interestingly I was assured that the streaking had nothing to do with the weather. Casting aside a day planned for microscopy I negotiated the roadworks of West London and made a journey to examine the paint.<br /><br />Appearance<br />Certainly, when viewed obliquely one could see greyish streaks on the dark green paint. It was clear that subsequent rain had caused these to run down the surfaces. Samples of the deposits were taken for subsequent microscopic analysis and numerous photographs taken.<br /><br />The paint seemed to have been applied well, although there were areas where sections of ‘making-good’ (i.e. filling) had not been adequately primed before subsequent coats of paint. The result was that there were patches of ‘sunken’ paint, where the filler had absorbed the overlaid masonry paint. I took this as an indication that the painter could have carried out a better job.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs985.snc4/75853_1430193683580_1495004822_30913140_7342696_n.jpg" title="Note the typical sign of a filled, but unprimed surface."/></center><br /><br />While on site I observed that the house faced West and that a small tree was growing in front of it on the pavement – the latter providing some shelter.<br /><br />An hour or so on the Internet gave me the meteorological data for London during the period between which our client had bought the paint and when she telephoned. This data consisted of the following:<br /><br />1) Temperature range and average;<br />2) Overall weather conditions e.g. Rain, fog, overcast, cloudy, partly cloudy, clear;<br />3) The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_humidity">Relative Humidity</a> range and average;<br />4) The wind speed;<br />5) The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dew_point"> Dew Point</a> temperature; and<br />6) The difference between ambient temperature and dew point.<br /><br />A telephone call to the manufacturers of the paint confirmed what I had already told the client – that it was not recommended that exterior surfaces are painted between October and March.<br /><br />I also checked the instructions on the tin and saw that they clearly stated that paint should not be applied below 45°F or during rain, fog or relative humidity (RH) above 80%.<br /><br />Whilst the temperature was not recorded as falling below 45°F, on most of the days in question the average RH had been above 80%. On only two days did the RH not reach 80%, but on both these occasions the weather was recorded as “Rain, overcast, cloudy” or “Rain, overcast, cloudy, partly cloudy, few clouds, clear”. Indeed on two occasions the RH was as high as 100%.<br /><br />Paint and the Damp<br />All water-based masonry paints contain some water-soluble ingredients, such as glycols, dispersants, surfactants (wetting agents) and thickeners. These are required for colour, stability, and ease of application. These ingredients usually either evaporate, or they leach from the paint due to rain or dew drying on the painted surface shortly after the paint has dried. They tend to occur if masonry paint is applied during cool and damp conditions, or just before it occurs, such as late afternoon or just before or right after rain. They will also occur when the temperature falls within 5°F of the dew point. <sup>1</sup> If this happens the drying is retarded and the ingredients come to the surface before the paint has had a chance to dry. <sup>2</sup> When the moisture dries, concentrated surfactants that have been deposited on the painted surface will immediately become noticeable as they are different in colour to the paint.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs446.ash2/71905_1430194163592_1495004822_30913143_6136521_n.jpg" title="Note the white streak on the gate pier."/></center><br /><br />This phenomenon (which I had seen a couple of times before, but was not aware of the name) is called <a href="http://www.paintquality.com/homeowners/paint-advice/infosheets/surfactantleaching.pdf"><i>surfactant leaching</i></a>.<br /><br />The fact that the front of the house faced West meant that the surfaces took longer to warm up. As a result it was some time before the dew had evaporated and before paint could safely be applied. On some days the daytime evaporation can be so slow that dew may persist all day. If the weather has been cloudy this will also reduce the chance of the dew evaporating. Furthermore, if it has rained or been foggy there will be more moisture to contend with.<br /><br />It was observed that of the days between the purchase of the paint and our client’s complaint only one was recorded as not having had either rain or fog. All of the days were also recorded as having been overcast or cloudy.<br /><br />Dark Paints<br />Dark paints which are tinted using universal colourants are more prone to this condition than white or ready mixed colours because of the surfactants and glycols present not only in the paint, but also in the colourant. The surface deposits will always be more noticeable on a dark coloured masonry paint. In most cases, surfactants come out of the paint film slowly and are washed away undetected – especially with light colours. Surfactants are not part of the paint film and their migration from the film does no harm to the paint film whatsoever. Surfactant leaching is an inconvenience caused by conditions not ideal for painting and is not a paint defect. While it usually has no adverse effect on the long-term durability of paint, it can temporarily affect the appearance of a job before it naturally weathers off in a month or two.<br /><br />Avoidance<br />To minimize the possibility of surfactant leaching, it is always best to avoid painting the exterior of a house between October and March. Similarly one should avoid painting late in the day, especially in the spring and autumn when cool, damp conditions are expected in the evening or overnight. One should also avoid painting just before it rains.<br /><br />Remedy<br />While surfactant leaching will normally weather off, one may find that careful washing off with plain water and a sponge will suffice. One must first ensure that the paint film has hardened and also be aware that dark colours can be marred by even slight abrasion so a trial is always recommended.<br /><br />If the surfactant cannot be removed without damaging the paint, touching up or repainting over the surfactant may be required.<br /><br />In general, surfactant leaching does not adversely affect the film integrity or exterior durability of the paint.<br /><br />Our Response<br />Our response could hardly have been more prompt:<br />1) When the problem had been brought to my attention I had telephoned the client from my holiday in Portugal.<br />2) Within a few hours of receiving an email of complaint I had visited the house and taken samples.<br />3) An email had been sent informing the client of my actions.<br />4) Before the end of the day a six page report had been sent to the client explaining what the problem was; what had caused it and possible solutions.<br /><br /><br />To date I have not had a response let alone a thank you.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /><br />NOTES<br /><sup>1</sup> The dew point is the temperature at which dew would form assuming all other conditions remained the same. It is a function of the air temperature and humidy. The dew point temperature can never be higher than the air temperature. If the dew point temp and air temp are the same the humidity must be 100%.<br /><br /><sup>2</sup> The temperature did fall within 5° F of the dew point on nearly half of the days in question. On top of this one must factor in the West-facing outlook and the shelter provided by the tree, which meant that the sun had little chance to dry the surfaces.Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-28967207562658884872010-10-22T19:33:00.006+01:002010-10-22T22:57:53.854+01:00Black Paint - Red Faces<center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br /><center><i>“Your paint is streaking terribly. I want you to come round and sort it out.”</i></center><br />Oh dear! Not the sort of telephone conversation to have with a client when one is a few hundred miles away on half-term holiday with the family.<br /><br />However, I was reminded of a strikingly similar case a few years ago on a house in Mayfair – one which I was able to resolve by using the techniques employed for the <a href="http://bit.ly/bkYIoK"> analysis of historic decorative schemes</a>.<br /><br />On that occasion the building was situated on the corner of the busy intersection of two streets in Mayfair. Our client had recently bought the eighteenth century house whose brick façade had been painted black for many years. The house had been beautifully finished – the façade in an off-black masonry paint which we had colour-matched for the client and the windows in an off-white gloss. The overall effect was similar to that in this photograph:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs889.snc4/72259_1419915466631_1495004822_30895192_2532532_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />The Problem<br />Some months later I received a complaint that the façade streaked whenever it rained and that the paint was being washed off and settling on the window cills. I explained that, in my experience, dark-painted facades in London tended to show airborne dirt more than lighter colours. I was aware that the house was less than 200 metres from Park Lane (the A4202). What I didn’t know at the time was that in a recent study of the influence of meteorological factors and traffic volumes upon suspended particles the kerbside of Park Lane was chosen as one of the four sites in London. This was selected because it has the highest traffic flow in the city.<sup>1</sup><br /><br /><br />The Paint<br />The first thing that I did was to check the formulation of the paint. The colourant used to tint the masonry paint consisted primarily of carbon black, which is characterised by its low particle size and intense black colour. There were also small amounts of white and blue in the formulation.<br /><br />Carbon black is the generic name given to the product resulting from the partial oxidation of hydrocarbon. Approximately 70% of carbon blacks go into the manufacture of vulcanised rubber tyres. A further 10% goes into the production of ink, plastics and paint. The remaining 20% is used in a variety of products including belting, hose, moulded elastomers and footwear.<sup>2</sup><br /><br />Although related, carbon black is slightly different to soot, which is the unwanted byproduct from the combustion of carbon-based materials for the generation of energy or heat. Large amounts of soot can be found in cities - the majority from the consumption of fossil fuels - particularly diesel fuel, coal, jet fuel, natural gas and petrol. Cars, airplanes and central heating boilers are responsible for much of this.<br /><br />As we retain a sample of all specially-mixed colours this was tested for ‘chalking’ by wiping with a damp cloth – no problem was found.<br /><br /><br />My Response<br />I reported back to my client that the paint mixed for him had been correctly formulated and that there were no indications of it being faulty in any way.<br /><br />The client did not believe me and insisted that I make a site visit, which I duly did and found nothing other than a light coating of dust on the painted surfaces. This was reported.<br /><br />He was still not happy so I made a second site visit immediately after the next patch of rainy weather. Certainly I could see some streakiness on the off-black façade and there was a thin brownish black deposit on the window cills. This appeared to be dirt; however, I took a number of samples in order to examine them under the microscope.<br /><br /><br />My Analysis<br />Samples of the residue removed from the window cills were placed on glass microscope slides. Five <a href="http://www.modernmicroscopy.com/main.asp?article=42&print=true&pix=true">dispersions</a> were made and these were examined and photographed using a <a href="http://www.microscope.com/compound-microscope-parts-t-7.html">compound microscope</a>.<br /><br /><br />Dispersions<br />Photomicrographs of a number of the dispersions are included below:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs763.snc4/66335_1419915746638_1495004822_30895193_5997387_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Photomicrograph of Slide 1</center><br />Slide 1<br />This dispersion is composed largely of silica, iron oxides and a couple of agglomerates coated with black paint. The combination of silica and iron oxides is found in soil, bricks and stone. In this instance they were not found in the masonry paint. The large agglomerates appeared to be particles of a cementitious nature covered by paint. These lumps were many times larger than particles of carbon black. This was probably sand and cement pointing that has been washed off. It will be understood that as a result of natural attrition the facade of a building is constantly being worn down by wind and rain.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs461.ash2/73409_1419916106647_1495004822_30895195_8212624_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Photomicrograph of Slide 2</center><br />Slide 2<br />This dispersion shows further lumps of silica, iron oxides and agglomerates coated with black paint. The large lump in the top centre is an organic brownish black that had been partially dissolved by the microscope slide mountant and the heat required to melt it. The organic brownish black appeared to be tar. This had either been washed down from the roof or had been blown up from the street. It is possible that there had been road works in the neighbourhood or roofing work on this or on nearby buildings. Lumps of this nature can be found in the smoke generated by both activities. Most of the particles are many times larger than carbon black.<br /><br />It is also possible that some of the particles are tiny pieces of rubber that have been detached from vehicle tyres by the abrasive and shearing forces exerted while driving. A <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060707.html">study in the United Kingdom</a> finds that about 10 to 20 percent of a tyre's total weight is worn off during its lifetime, which works out to about 58,000 tons a year in the UK alone. The heavy particles quickly settle on the road and pavement while the lighter particles become airborne.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs451.ash2/72397_1419916306652_1495004822_30895196_2316539_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Photomicrograph of Slide 3</center><br />Slide 3<br />The particles shown in this dispersion are largely composed of the partially dissolved organic brownish black seen in slide 2. Large agglomerates coated with black paint can be seen together with very small translucent particles of silica. This slide appears to be largely tar and sand.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs385.ash2/66296_1419916386654_1495004822_30895197_560645_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Photomicrograph of Slide 4</center><br />Slide 4<br />A certain amount of vegetable fibre can be seen in all the slides, although it is best shown here. The staining caused by the partial dissolving of the organic brownish black can be seen clearly. The vegetable fibre has probably been blown over from Hyde Park or from nearby trees.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs924.snc4/73725_1419916546658_1495004822_30895198_3252928_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Photomicrograph of Slide 5</center><br />Slide 5<br />This dispersion shows many large particles. These consist of translucent silica together with lumps of the partially dissolved organic brownish black. This slide is mainly tar and sand.<br /><br />Conclusions<br />If the masonry paint had been under-bound or over-pigmented there would have been signs of "chalking". Tiny particles of an intense black pigment would be washed down the facade and would collect on the horizontal surfaces such as window cills.<br /><br />The samples showed many different substances on the exterior of the building. These probably included sand, stone, brick, soil, tar, soot, vegetable fibre, and small lumps of the painted facade itself. No doubt particulate matter from the brakes and tyres of the traffic passing close to the house could also be found.<br /><br />Put simply the deposits on the window cills were dirt.<br /><br />That house was situated on a cross roads near one of the busiest streets in London. In such a location a recirculating vortex is created leading to heavy concentrations of particle mass. It is for that reason that a roadside monitoring point was established during the recent study. The local conditions are different throughout London, but here they are particularly demanding. A dark-painted facade will invariably look streaky once airborne dirt settles on it - whether in the centre of London or in the suburbs.<br /><br />This was a particularly time-consuming exercise, which unfortunately didn't even merit a response from the client - all too eager to find someone to blame for a fact of life.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /><br />References<br /><sup>1</sup> Roy M. Harrison, Alan M. Jones and Roger Barrowcliffe. Field study of the influence of meteorological factors and traffic volumes upon suspended particle mass at urban roadside sites of differing geometries. <span style="font-style: italic;">Atmospheric Environment</span>. Volume 38, Issue 37, December 2004, Pages 6361-6369. Amsterdam, Elsevier.<br /><br /><sup>2</sup> Peter Lewis. "Carbon Black" in <span style="font-style: italic;">Pigment Handbook</span>. Vol 1 (ed. Peter A. Lewis). Pages 743-758. New York, John Wiley. 1988.Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-23164160681472641202010-09-27T14:02:00.010+01:002010-11-13T21:42:16.356+00:00HISTORY SEEN IN 300 YEARS OF PAINT<center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs685.snc4/62528_1393365602901_1495004822_30849038_3051921_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Sir Isaac Newton</center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />It is often assumed that the main task of an <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822">architectural paint researcher</a> is to identify the original colours employed in an historic building. Whilst this can be established if sufficient evidence survives much much more information can often be obtained.<br /><br />An <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/22905837/The-Paint-Detective">examination of the paint layers</a> and their comparison will also show when changes have taken place within a building. Research into the previous occupants may show who was responsible for such work. For example, a recent project on a London house that was built in 1705 has revealed that significant cosmetic alterations were made in the 1820s to bring the house up to date – fashionable chimneypieces were installed; the front door was changed and certain of the rooms were connected by new doorways. Furthermore, it can be seen that the narrow window on the first and second floors were bricked in during the last years of the eighteenth century, while that on the ground floor survived until the 1860s.* The years when the house was occupied by a leading architect of the early twentieth century can be seen in the paint layers as further changes were made – some in an antiquarian style, which had confused the architectural historians.<br /><br />There are several ways of working out the rough date of a paint layer. Clearly (if complete) one can be reasonably sure of the first and last in the sequence. The constituents often provide clues. The first appearance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide">Titanium Dioxide</a> in a sequence, for instance, generally marks the 1960s (although notable exceptions have been found). <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrome_yellow"> Chrome Yellow</a>, especially when found in the composition of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variations_of_green#Brunswick_green"> Brunswick Green</a>, tends to suggest the post 1820 period, while the arsenical <a href="http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/emerald.html"> Emerald Green</a> indicates a date after about 1814.<br /><br />One advantage of looking at exterior paint is that as paint is applied for its protective, as well as decorative function one finds many more layers. Crudely, having once again established that the sequence is complete, if one divides the age of the building by the number of painted schemes<sup>1</sup> a repainting cycle can be established. This will vary depending upon the location, surface and type of building. Typically it will be in the range of four to seven years.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs663.snc4/60331_1393366002911_1495004822_30849041_3673867_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>The fragment of paint - 5mm thick</center><br /><br />While sampling in the 1705 house a workman brought me a lump of paint that he had prised off the external timber cornice. At first I thought that it was a piece of china, such was the weight and shape. However, it was immediately clear from the traces of the characteristic early eighteenth century red oxide primer at the bottom to the bright white final layers at the top that I was holding three hundred years of the buildings decorative history.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs643.snc4/60331_1393365962910_1495004822_30849040_6754135_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>The microscopes used for the analysis</center><br /><br />Once the sample had been set in a clear embedding resin; cut; polished and examined under the microscope I could see that the exterior had been painted an astonishing 71 times. A repainting cycle of approximately 4.2 years is remarkable, but by no means unique, with a similar period having been found on houses in both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portman_Square">Portman Square, London</a> and <a href="http://rth.org.uk/regency_history/brunswick_square/brunswick_square.php">Brunswick Square, Hove</a>. In both of these cases frequent maintenance was dictated by the terms of the lease.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs025.snc4/33625_1393417564200_1495004822_30849133_4861545_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>The lowest fifteen schemes</center><br /><br />It can be seen immediately that white or off-white (a colour known as “pale stone colour” in eighteenth century painters’ terminology) was employed on nearly every occasion that the house was painted. Another example, perhaps, of reality being somewhat different to the colours suggested by many of the more fashionable ‘historical’ colour ranges.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs665.snc4/60517_1394142062312_1495004822_30850298_1963900_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>The top twenty-three schemes</center><br /><center>NB Transition from Lead via Zinc to Titanium-based paints. Also the weathered wartime scheme and the introduction of the Clean Air Act</center><br /><br />In common with most samples taken from London exteriors two recent events can be seen quite clearly. The first was the years of poor maintenance that mark the Second World War. Weathered paint is visible in the form of volcano-like cracks in the upper layers and this generally indicates the fourteen or so year period brought to an end by the removal of building controls in October 1954. The introduction of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Air_Act#United_Kingdom"> Clean Air Act</a> of 1956 is also evident, for prior to 1956 the surface of each decorative scheme was clearly marked by a layer of airborne soot. From that period on it is often difficult to see where one scheme ends and another begins.<br /><br />The changing nature of the white component in paint is also clearly reflected in this cross section. Here we can see that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_lead">White Lead</a> (Pb) was the main constituent until about 1939. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_oxide"> Zinc Oxide</a> (ZnO) was employed in the 1950s and a blend of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) and Zinc Oxide was applied for the rest of that decade, with pure Titanium Dioxide having been used on all subsequent occasions.<br /><br />The information provided by this cross section also enabled me to establish when the sash windows had been replaced; the elaborate doorcase stripped and (surprisingly) it allowed me to offer rough dates for the last forty years of the interior schemes.<br /><br />The significance of this sequence only really becomes apparent when one applies a timeline against it.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs642.snc4/60206_1393413964110_1495004822_30849127_7969874_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>The 71 schemes applied to the building</center><br /><br />The house was built in 1705, the year that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Great_Britain"> Queen Anne</a> knighted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton"> Isaac Newton</a>, the first scientist ever to receive the honour.<br /><br />Taking a number of subsequent random dates we can see how the building was painted in:<br /><br />1726, when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire">Voltaire</a> arrives in England, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin"> Benjamin Franklin</a> leaves for Philadelphia;<br /><br />1752 - Britain adopts the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar">Gregorian calendar</a>, and we lose the days between the 3rd and 13th of September that year<br /><br />1770 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook">Captain James Cook</a> drops anchor in what he would name <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botany_Bay">Botany Bay</a>, and the crew of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Bark_Endeavour">Endeavour</a> become the first recorded Europeans in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia">Australia</a>.<br /><br />1800 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1800">The Acts of Union</a> is signed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_III_of_the_United_Kingdom">George III</a>, creating the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> the following year.<br /><br />1830 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railway">The Liverpool and Manchester Railway</a> opens the first intercity rail service between the two cities, under steam power.<br /><br />1865 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Beeton">Isabella Beeton</a> dies and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Butler_Yeats">W.B. Yeats</a> is born<br /><br />1900 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill">Winston Churchill</a> is elected to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom">Parliament</a> for the first time<br /><br />1939 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II">The Second World War</a> begins<br /><br />1975 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher">Margaret Thatcher</a> becomes leader of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Party_%28UK%29">Conservative Party</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates">Bill Gates</a> founds the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft">Microsoft Corporation</a><br /><br />It appears that the building was last painted in 2005, the year in which the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army">Provisional IRA</a> issued a statement formally ordering an end to the armed campaign that it had been pursuing since 1969.<br /><br />In my years as a paint researcher I have never encountered such a complete sequence of decorative schemes. Literally, history in the palm of ones hand.<br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center></span><br /></p>Acknowledgement: <a href="http://posterous.com/people/4bmN0eP9cdvr">Lucy Inglis</a><br /><br /><br />Notes<br /><sup>1</sup> This was later borne out by the discovery of a watercolour of the house.<br /><sup>2</sup> A “scheme” is defined as the undercoats and top coat that were applied on each occasion that the exterior was repainted.Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-56079143616216303982010-09-22T06:24:00.003+01:002010-11-13T21:41:38.384+00:00The Royal Warrant<center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Warrant"> Royal Warrant</a> is a mark of recognition to people or companies who have supplied goods or services to HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales.<br /><br />Today there are around 850 Royal Warrant Holders representing a huge cross section of trade and industry from traditional craftspeople to global and multinational firms operating at the cutting edge of technology. They range from chimney sweeps to computer suppliers, butchers to boiler manufacturers. The one thing that they have in common is their commitment to the highest standards of quality and service.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs655.snc4/61538_1387764742883_1495004822_30839373_3392923_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />From the earliest times the King and the Court required goods and services. Whether it was making robes or repairing roofs, competition for Royal favour was intense and the Monarch had the pick of the most proficient tradespeople. The earliest surviving record of this Royal approval dates from 1155 when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England"> King Henry II</a> granted the <a href="http://www.weavers.org.uk/history"> Weavers’ Company</a> of London a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_charter">Royal Charter</a>.<br /><br />By the 15th century the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Chamberlain">Lord Chamberlain</a> formally appointed Royal tradesmen with a Royal Warrant and the practice continues to this day. An early notable was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Caxton"> William Caxton</a>, the father of British printing, who was the printer to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VII_of_England">King Henry VII</a>. It appears that by the 18th century Royal tradesmen began to display the Royal Arms on their stationery – Johnson and Justerini, the forerunners of today’s <a href="http://www.justerinis.com/default.aspx?">Justerini & Brooks</a> – displayed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Wales%27s_feathers">Prince of Wales’s feathers</a> on their letterhead with the boast that they were his ‘Foreign Cordial Merchants’.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs348.ash2/62827_1387764822885_1495004822_30839374_253293_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />During the 64 year reign of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom">Queen Victoria</a> more than 2000 Warrants were granted. These included a number of companies who still hold Warrants today, including a well-known chocolate maker; a locksmith; a hairbrush manufacturer and a tea merchant.<br /><br />In 1840 an annual dinner was held by Royal tradesmen to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday. At that dinner it was decided to form ‘The Royal Tradesmen’s Association’, which became <a href="http://www.royalwarrant.org/">‘The Royal Warrant Holders’ Association’</a> on receipt of its first Royal Charter in 1907.<br /><br />Today the Association advises members on everything to do with the Warrant. It also provides a link with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Household">Royal Household</a> and ensures that Warrants are displayed by bona fide Warrant Holders alone. There are branches in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Sandringham and Windsor and membership is open only to Warrant Holders.<br /><br />It was therefore with great excitement when we, at <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/index.html">Papers and Paints</a>, first realised that our paints were being used by the Royal Household. Surely it wouldn’t be too long before we would also be allowed to display the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_coat_of_arms_of_the_United_Kingdom">Royal Arms</a> on our letterhead and shop premises.<br /><br />However, the years passed and more paint and lots of advice was provided, yet there was no sign of the postman with the long-awaited stiff white envelope. It was only a chance conversation with a colleague who runs one of the most talented firms of <a href="http://www.hare-humphreys.co.uk/#"> specialist decorators</a> that the penny dropped – nothing would happen unless we applied.<br /><br />By that stage it was difficult to remember what we had done and when. However, with a bit of digging around in filing cabinets we were able to gather together sufficient information to demonstrate that we had been supplying goods and services for the requisite five years even though the actual period was nearer twice that.<br /><br />The relevant forms filled, checks made and we were delighted to be told on 1st January 2007 that we had become a Royal Warrantholder By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen as architectural paint suppliers.<br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br />Further Reading<br />Tim Heald. A Peerage for Trade. A History of the Royal Warrant. 1988.<br />RWHA. The Royal Warrant.</span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-76193837400600086442010-09-03T17:46:00.013+01:002010-09-03T18:39:29.097+01:00From the Scaffold to the Microscope: my Internship with Patrick Baty<center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />Greetings fellow “News from the Colourman” blog-followers! My name is Kirsten Travers and I recently had the pleasure of working with <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick</a> as an intern for the past four weeks. Like all good things, my internship has come to an end. But before I return to the United States, Patrick has asked me to share with you some of the things I’ve learned and experienced in this whirlwind month…<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs431.snc4/47397_1370267185455_1495004822_30805734_4334676_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />First, allow me to introduce myself: I am a graduate student in my third year of study at the <a href="http://artcons.punkave.net/faculty-and-facilities/facilities/painted-surfaces-lab">Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC)</a>. My background is in decorative painting and conservation of large-scale objects, and at WUDPAC I specialize in the conservation and analysis of Painted Surfaces, particularly those in the built environment. In my studies, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty’s</a> name came up often due to his contributions to the field, and I found that his <a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641-patrick-baty">articles</a>, blogs, and other publications were my most important resources in understanding this complex and fascinating discipline. When it came time to arrange my summer internship, I knew that I wanted to come to London to work with Patrick and learn from his expertise in paint analysis and how he runs a <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk">successful paint shop</a> and <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822">consultancy</a>. I was also hoping to learn first-hand about British paint and design traditions (from which our American traditions spring), as preparation for the next stage of my studies- as an architectural paint analyst / intern at <a href="http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/"> Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.</a> <br /><br />Be careful what you wish for! Under Patrick’s tutelage I’ve had a fabulous introduction to the busy life of an architectural paint researcher. We’ve done everything under the sun (and sometimes rain), visiting sites of historic and architectural significance to which Patrick has personally contributed through his knowledge of colour and paint. The range is really quite staggering! <br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs411.snc4/47397_1370267225456_1495004822_30805735_4764478_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />On a “typical” day, we might don hard hats and steel toed boots and climb scaffolding to inspect a gilded cathedral ceiling, or take samples from a painted exterior at Queen Anne’s Gate. Then off to a meeting with architects who want Patrick’s expertise in restoring the colours of a plush 1930’s hotel, then take a bus across town where an organization needs to know the correct shade of blue that would be historically appropriate for a row of townhouses. Throughout the day, we would “pop in” to museums, churches, and historic houses where Patrick had worked in the past (there is always one a stone’s throw away anywhere in the city). Sites included the <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2009/11/geffrye-museum-update.html">Geffrye Museum</a>, <a href="http://schmap.it/viljyv"> the Benjamin Franklin House</a>, <a href="http://schmap.it/t8fb8l">the Foundling Museum</a>, and <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/11528345/The-Colourful-Past-of-the-Royal-Festival-Hall">Royal Festival Hall</a> (to name a few). As we walked across grand dining rooms, up winding staircases, or into humble servant’s quarters, Patrick would explain to me the history of the site, the goals of the paint analysis, his findings, and his thoughts on the final interpretation. I always had a million questions, and Patrick thoughtfully and patiently answered every single one. This constant dialogue was a real joy to me. It was wonderful to be in an architectural space discussing paint traditions and colour history with someone so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject. This was exactly the kind of thing I had to leave the classroom to learn. <br /><br />I also had the opportunity to help Patrick take samples on-site, and prepare them for examination and documentation at his home laboratory (with help from his other assistant, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000617739545&ref=mf">Caspar the cat</a>). Patrick’s microscope is hooked up to a television screen, which allowed us to look at samples together and discuss what we were seeing. This was another important aspect of my internship- as sampling, microscopy, and report-writing are crucial skills required for any <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/8684445?access_key=key-22tloghz9kqlyfjvexrg">paint researcher</a>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs204.ash2/46672_1370266625441_1495004822_30805732_2655213_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Oh, and did I mention the field trips? In the midst of his hectic schedule, Patrick somehow found the time to take me to some of the most historically significant sites in all of England- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperspaints/sets/72157622938889617/show/">Kenilworth Castle</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperspaints/sets/72157623126800114/show/">Hampton Court Palace</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperspaints/sets/72157624338217601/show/">Greenwich</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/1TcwEv">Kew Palace</a>….(again, these are all sites he has worked on). Experiencing these architectural spaces first hand with Patrick as my guide really underscored the fact that architectural paint research is about so much more than just color- it can be a valuable tool to further our understanding of the social history of a building’s occupants- their fortunes, dreams, and realities… <br /><br />Wait, my four weeks is up? But we’ve only just gotten started! <br /><br />Well, time to pack my bags again, for the last time. This has been an incredibly successful summer for me, and I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to work with Patrick here in this great city. Now that I know how busy he is, I really can’t believe how much time he took from his own schedule to show me so much of London! I truly, truly appreciate it. I’ve learned everything I had hoped to and more, and I’ll put all of this knowledge to good use back home. I hate goodbyes, so thank goodness we’ll be able to keep in touch via facebook and Twitter! Best of luck with all your future projects, and a big <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010/03/papers-and-paints-early-years.html">Happy 50th Anniversary</a> to the best paint shop in the world! <br /><br />Don’t forget breakfast at the <a href="http://schmap.it/ejluke">Chelsea Arts Club</a>, Kirsten!<br /><br /><br /><br />To learn more about WUDPAC and the Painted Surfaces program, visit our website at:<br /><center><a href="http://artcons.punkave.net/faculty-and-facilities/facilities/painted-surfaces-lab">WUDPAC</a>.</center><br /><br />You can follow me and my further adventures in Colonial Williamsburg on Twitter:<br /><center>@Rhodamine_K</center><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-65201422922344197062010-07-14T13:38:00.009+01:002010-08-23T09:25:31.239+01:00Lime Plaster and Subsequent Decoration<center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs068.snc4/34746_1327636839723_1495004822_30712379_3297122_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />The re-appearance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_hydroxide">lime</a> as a building product during the last twenty or so years has clearly brought many advantages especially in the restoration of historical buildings. However, it has also raised a number of problems that we at <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> are consulted about on a daily basis. The most frequent question is – "What paint can I use on fresh<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_plaster"> lime plaster</a>."<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs048.snc4/34746_1327636879724_1495004822_30712380_7201297_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>New lath being put up for subsequent plastering</center><br /><br />I see this blog as being a work in progress; one that I shall tweak and amend when the opportunity presents itself. Sitting, as I am on the sun-drenched terrace of a <a href="http://scr.tw/vHcAEmr"> Portuguese villa</a>, without access to my extensive library a few of my points could do with a little 'firming up'. No matter. Having just received an email from an interior designer who now realises why I had been cautioning about the use of lime plaster and the problems of a short redecoration programme I feel that the time is right.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs383.snc4/44660_1360273855628_1495004822_30785395_2541515_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />A difficulty with writing short pieces on complex subjects is that one must generalise and qualify all those statements for which an exception immediately springs to mind. Lime and its use in historical buildings is certainly one those subjects.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs037.snc4/34228_1327742162356_1495004822_30712541_6138903_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Headfort House, Ireland. Shows lime plaster repairs prior to redecoration. Many thanks to <a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/richard-ireland/12/5aa/324">Richard Ireland</a></center><br /><br />The use of lime in building, at least in the form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_plaster">plaster</a>, was the norm until the twentieth century. Thinking of our big cities alone, huge numbers of houses still retain lime-plastered walls under many layers of subsequent paint. Whilst one gives very little thought to the type of paint that is used on these it is certainly a consideration when it comes to the redecoration of newly refurbished historical buildings. For, although most plaster repairs carried out in the typical 1880s terraced house will be in the form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaster#Gypsum_plaster">gypsum</a> plaster, those buildings that have been the subject of extensive restoration – often with the involvement of outside agencies such as <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/protecting/heritage-protection/what-can-we-protect/listed-buildings/">English Heritage</a> - will almost invariably involve the use of new lime plaster.<br /><br />When lime plaster was the norm it was well-understood that a period of time must elapse before walls could be decorated – or, at least, before anything other than a temporary coating could be applied. The main reason for this was the length of time that it took the water component to be released in the form of moisture vapour. This problem can better be appreciated if it is realised that a square yard of lime plaster contains nearly half a gallon of water in each coat. However, the sort of lime generally used in plastering hardens by a slow process of carbonation, reacting with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over a period of time. Another possible problem is the high alkalinity of fresh lime. This diminishes with carbonation but must be considered especially if an oil-based paint is desired for the decoration.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs048.snc4/34746_1327636799722_1495004822_30712378_3315825_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Plasterers applying distemper</center><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Nicholson_%28architect%29">Peter Nicholson</a>, in his <i>An Architectural Dictionary</i>, of 1819, spoke of <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2009/05/having-been-involved-with-historical.html">(soft) distemper</a> as a stop-gap measure:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>Painting in distemper, or water-colours mixed with size, stucco, or plaster, which is intended to be painted in oil when finished; but not being sufficiently dry to receive the oil, may have a coating in water-colours, of any given tint required, in order to give a more finished appearance to that part of the building</i></blockquote><i></i><br />He continued:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>It will not require less than two coats of any of the foregoing colours in order to cover the plaster, and bear out with an uniform appearance. It must be recollected, that when the stucco is sufficiently dry, and it is desirable to have it painted in oil, the whole of the water colour ought to be removed; which may be easily done by washing; and, when quite dry, proceed with it after the directions given in oil painting on stucco.</i></blockquote><i></i><br /><br />Nicholson was also aware of the implications of this long drying-out time, and in a comment on speculative building said:<br /><blockquote><i>Perhaps, in general cases, where persons are building on their own estate, or for themselves, two or three years are not too long to suffer the stucco to remain unpainted; though frequently, in speculative works, as many weeks are scarcely allowed.</i></blockquote><i></i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Interior-House-painting-Colours-Technology-1615-1840/dp/0300038674">Dr Ian Bristow</a> refers to the common practice, until quite recently, of decorating the plasterwork in newly finished interiors first in a porous water-based paint (soft distemper), pending final decoration in oil a year or two later. He cites the accounts for Henry Pelham's house in Arlington Street, London, which show that the whole of the staircase had been painted in this way by January 1746 and was not decorated in oil until about two years later. While carrying out the <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/22905837/The-Paint-Detective">paint analysis</a> in a number of early nineteenth century houses I have invariably found evidence for an initial scheme of soft distemper under subsequent layers of oil paint. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cubitt">Thomas Cubitt</a>, the builder, advised his clients to live "under builder's finish" for two years to prevent expensive decoration from being spoiled.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs187.snc4/37681_1327657480239_1495004822_30712398_1125768_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Photomicrograph showing a layer of distemper (marked by blue dots) visible under the first scheme of oil paint - Library ceiling, <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010/01/stowe-house-part-1.html">Stowe</a></center><br />In a perfect world nothing would be applied to the walls for as long as a year, depending on the depth of plaster and the nature of the substrate. However that isn’t always practicable. The application of a true soft distemper is also not the most realistic option as it is fragile and the necessary skills to make it are rarely to be found.<br /><br />Whatever you do, take care to avoid the so-called <a href="http://www.countrylife.co.uk/property_news/article/490618/Choosing-suitable-paint-for-period-properties.html#part2"> <i>traditional paint</i></a> route.<br /><br /><a href="http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/richard-ireland/12/5aa/324">Richard Ireland</a>, the expert on the conservation of decorative plaster has dealt with the subject of relevant paints in a very good <a href="http://www.projectbook.co.uk/article_41.html">blog</a> on the <a href="http://www.projectbook.co.uk/register.html">ProjectBook</a> website.<br /><br />He is one of the few specialists who have both the practical and theoretical knowledge to write on the matter.<br /><br />If early decoration is unavoidable there are two main options:<br /><br />a) The first is the use of a ‘contract’ emulsion. These paints have the highest moisture vapour permeability rates of all emulsions and are specifically formulated for use on new plaster. Once the plaster is dry in depth more sophisticated emulsions can be used on top.<br /><br />b) Another option might be <a href="http://www.claessens.com/en/index.html"> Classidur Golden Classic</a>. This is a non-conventional solvent based system with properties that make it particularly suitable as a substitute for a soft distemper. These include high vapour permeability and a lack of surface tension.<br /><br />In both instances there are limitations on the range of colours. <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> is one of the few specialists who are able to tint both these products.<br /><br />Although not recommended for application to large areas, oil paints may be employed, but only once an alkali resistant primer has been applied.<br /><br />Lime plaster is an excellent material in the restoration of historical buildings, but do remember that its use will require careful thought in terms of timing and its subsequent decoration.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></i></div><i><br /></i><center><i><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></i></center><i><br /></i>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-32953742248911435482010-07-10T15:28:00.019+01:002010-11-05T18:55:42.397+00:00The World of Mythical Colour<center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs028.ash2/34769_1324279235785_1495004822_30704119_4906417_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><blockquote><i>"A short time ago the artistic world discovered that on garden gates, farm fences, etc., there was a most lovely blue-green colour to be seen sometimes. This was Brunswick green in a state of dilapidation, and was showing that it needed re-painting. However, the colour was so lovely that many attempts were made to copy it in new paint. They all failed hopelessly. One cannot with paint fake the work of time".</i></blockquote><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs068.snc4/34769_1324279155783_1495004822_30704117_4690866_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Brunswick Green</center><br />These words of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Ionides"> Basil Ionides</a>, written in the 1930s, came to mind when <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> was talking to the owner of a large country house in Norfolk. <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> had been requested to devise a good blue colour such as (we were told) "had always been used on the gates and doors around the estate".<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs048.snc4/34769_1324278995779_1495004822_30704113_3256707_n.jpg" /></center><br />It doesn’t really matter, of course, that the blue that our client had in mind had almost certainly been a dark green when originally applied, for age had changed both the colour and the finish to produce a very pleasing result. A few years earlier, Basil Ionides had been more specific:<i><br /><br /><blockquote><i>"Brunswick green outside is delightful after about three years, when it begins to become a lovely verdigris colour, but one has to suffer a dull colour till then, and this change really means that the old paint is perishing and new is needed."</i></blockquote><br /><br />Several years ago we were commissioned to investigate the exterior paint colour in the National Trust's famous <a href="http://hearteng.110mb.com/gardens/hidcote.htm">Hidcote Manor Garden</a>. For the last forty years the well-known bluish green has been used, however analysis has shown how this was a misinterpretation of the earlier Brunswick green. Perhaps surprisingly the original colour appears to have been brown.<br /><br />Although modern paint no longer <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/11557908?access_key=key-cv27q9ovpw2h1zm1sev">'chalks'</a> as an old lead paint does when it ages the colour still wanders. This can be seen on a south-facing green-painted front door after a few years. When opened, the edges which have been protected by the frame are noticeably greener and darker than the door itself.<br /><br /></i><center><i><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs048.snc4/34769_1324279075781_1495004822_30704115_7925767_n.jpg" /></i></center><i><br /></i><center><i>Brunswick green 'on the turn' – the colour becoming noticeably bluer and paler.<br />NB also the flaking that is characteristic of an aged modern paint</i></center><i><br />In recent years blue seems to have become a popular colour for such surfaces even though it was seldom used on external woodwork in the past. Another colour with which it is confused is the one frequently referred to as the generic “French Chateau Shutter Blue” (could it be that there is more than one?) by several customers who have heard of our range of paint colours based on some of those seen across the various regions of France.<br /><br /></i><center><i><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs068.snc4/34769_1324279035780_1495004822_30704114_2738604_n.jpg" /></i></center><i><br /></i><center><i>A door in the Île de Ré. Acknowledgement <a href="http://www.georgianlondon.com/"> Lucy Inglis</a>.</i></center><i><br />Even when aware of this phenomenon one often needs convincing. Whilst carrying out the <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/22905837/The-Paint-Detective">analysis of the paint</a> on the estate buildings at<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperspaints/sets/72157623046160474/show/"> Culzean Castle, in Ayrshire</a>, a red-brown door to the Kitchen Garden was seen to display an earlier scheme of greenish-blue.<br /><br /><br /></i><center><i><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs068.snc4/34769_1324279195784_1495004822_30704118_1807021_n.jpg" /></i></center><i><br /><br />However, when the paint layers were examined under the <a href="http://scr.tw/vzfyDip">microscope</a> it became quite clear that the ‘blue’ was a result of the curious effect of ‘flooding’. This is when one of the pigments in the paint migrates to the surface – in the case of Brunswick green (composed of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_blue"> Prussian blue</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrome_yellow"> chrome yellow</a>) it is invariably the blue that rises as can be seen here:<br /><br /><br /></i><center><i><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs028.ash2/34769_1324279115782_1495004822_30704116_4161778_n.jpg" /></i></center><i><br /><br />A thin blue crust can be seen (marked by blue dots) where the overlying red-brown has already flaked off. However where the red-brown is scraped off the underlying paint shows green.<br /><br /></i><center><i><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs365.ash2/64346_1403526496917_1495004822_30866272_4211422_n.jpg" /></i></center><i><br /><br />Here is another example recently encountered on a set of Soane-designed outbuildings in Northamptonshire. A slideshow of these buildings can be seen <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperspaints/sets/72157624959730125/show/">here</a>. A cross section taken from this door is shown below (note how the upper face is bluer than the rest of the layer:<br /><br /></i><center><i><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs256.snc4/40157_1403491056031_1495004822_30866221_385875_n.jpg" /></i></center><i><br /><br />Here is a piece of boarding from the stables at <a href="http://bit.ly/7xnVf2"> Penrice Castle</a>, in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gower_Peninsula"> Gower</a>, which shows the colour in its weathered and unweathered form:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs056.ash2/36140_1436746727402_1495004822_30924590_1722609_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Here are some doors in the stable block at Penrice Castle:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs957.snc4/75052_1436746567398_1495004822_30924589_6598509_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />There are many myths that have arisen in the world of paint and colour. A number of these will be addressed in subsequent blog posts.<br /><br /><br /></i><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></i></div><i><br /></i><center><i><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></i></center>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-7945853042366269112010-06-04T13:20:00.014+01:002010-11-13T21:44:35.193+00:00From Handel to Hendrix: A Coloured History<center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center> <br /><br />Occasionally I hope to encourage guest bloggers to write about matters related to restoration, paint or colour. I had no hesitation when Lucy Inglis, the author of the very successful <a href="http://www.georgianlondon.com/from-handel-to-hendrix-a-coloured-history?c=1"> Georgian London</a> blog suggested that she would like to mention the recent restoration of the house where George Frideric Handel lived in the eighteenth century. What follows was written by Lucy:<br /><br /><blockquote>In these times, whoever wishes to be eminent in music goes to England. In Italy and France there is something to be heard and earned; in England something to be earned.</blockquote> <center>Johann Mattheson, 1713</center><br /><br />This piece of sage advice applied as much to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frideric_Handel"> Handel</a> in 1710 as it did to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix"> Jimi Hendrix</a> in the late 1960s. Handel, originally from Halle in Germany, would go on to become perhaps our greatest musical import. His love for London and for England led him to become a naturalized citizen later in his life. His compositions are still played at the coronation of England’s sovereigns and for many; his work captures the early 18th century.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs573.snc3/31259_1288418339285_1495004822_30619046_3936473_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Handel’s House at 25 Brook Street</center><br /><br />In 1723, Handel took the lease on a new building in Brook Street, Mayfair. He would live in number 25 for the rest of his life and when he died, his servant John would inherit the lease and managed to raise enough money to purchase the things in the house to keep it as it was. The house changed hands throughout the 19thC, and in 1905 was purchased by an antiques dealer, whose family would own the house until the 1970s. The changes he made were not entirely sympathetic and when in 2000 the <a href="http://www.handelhouse.org/"> Handel House Museum Trust</a> took over the job of returning the house to how it would have looked in its first owner's day, they faced a tough challenge.<br /><br />Restoration of an historic building is not just about returning the built structure to its original appearance; the atmosphere within the rooms has to be right too. Colour and furnishings are essential. Of course, without a detailed inventory of Handel's furniture, or a plan of how each room was laid out (these do exist sometimes, although not usually for houses as 'modest' as Handel's) it is only possible to recreate a typical room setting of the period, given what is known about Handel. What it is possible to do however, is to recreate the decoration of the room.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs573.snc3/31259_1288424059428_1495004822_30619048_4113931_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Handel’s bedroom in 25 Brook Street</center><br /><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> owns <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> in Park Walk, Chelsea (<a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html">celebrating their 50th anniversary this year)</a>. He is also a consultant on historical paint with an astonishing knowledge of historical paint colour, ingredients, techniques and London artisans. He can establish how a room once looked by examining the layers of paint and <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/projects_uk.asp"> has worked on a vast number of projects over the years</a>. Much of his work has involved early eighteenth century interiors.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs593.snc3/31259_1288423979426_1495004822_30619047_4267933_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>A cross section of the paint from the attic in Handel’s House. It shows the typical early 18th century <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochre"> red ochre</a>-tinted primer on the wood and the mid grey <i>lead colour</i>) first scheme</center><br /><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/7i8P9B"> Samples taken of the paint from the rooms in No 25</a> revealed that the building had been much altered during the last 270 years. Fragments of original paint survived in three areas, which indicated that there had been an early use of grey on the panelling, with brown on the doors. A similar use of colour was identified throughout No 23, suggesting, perhaps, that the original scheme had been a speculator's finish. It is this grey that has been reintroduced.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs573.snc3/31259_1288424139430_1495004822_30619049_4898350_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>A corner of one of the rooms showing the <i>lead colour</i> on the panelling</center><br />It seems strange that colour can be so crucial in recreating a period 'feel' to a building, but as I have come to learn through Patrick's work, it is just as important as any of the other tools used to create the right atmosphere, in either private homes or public spaces. I think the pictures make it clear how successful the reintroduction of the original colour scheme has been for the <a href="http://www.handelhouse.org/"> Handel House Museum</a>.<br /><br />The museum is one of London's hidden heritage gems: go and have a look. It'll surprise you. The atmosphere is lovely. Even better, if you go later this summer, you can also visit Jimi Hendrix's flat in the adjoining building as part of the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8686207.stm"><i>Hendrix in Britain</i> </a> exhibition.<br /><br />Many thanks to the lovely people at the Handel House Museum for their help and permission to use the images in the gallery. For more on exactly how Patrick uncovers old interiors, and exteriors for that matter visit his <a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html"> blog</a>, or follow him on <a href="http://twitter.com/paperspaints"> Twitter</a>.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.georgianlondon.com/"> Lucy Inglis</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what Patrick Baty does.</a></center><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-77526628083625453062010-04-27T19:25:00.010+01:002010-04-28T17:05:27.131+01:00A Brunel Bridge - part two<center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs321.ash1/28209_1263322151896_1495004822_30571643_2684082_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center> An early view of Saltash Station, with the Bridge behind.<br />Acknowledgement: Stephen Rowson</center><br /><br />In October last year <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> posted a blog on his sampling of the paint on the <a href="http://www.royalalbertbridge.co.uk/"> Royal Albert Bridge</a>. [That post can be seen here - <a href="http://bit.ly/6JbGY">A Brunel Bridge - part one</a>] He had been employed by Network Rail to identify how the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel"> Isambard Kingdom Brunel</a>-designed bridge had been painted when it was opened in 1859.<br /><br />At the time he was still carrying out the examination of the cross sections and undertaking their analysis. By early December it had become clear how the bridge had been first treated and Patrick was able to produce his report.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/7246/4wholesmller.jpg" /></center><div style="text-align: center;"><br />The sequence of paints applied to the Bridge<br /></div><br />The first scheme applied to the Bridge is a complex one and was carried out in two phases. The early photographic evidence and previous work carried out on road bridges over the River Thames gives support to this statement. It is believed to have been applied in five coats. In normal circumstances the application of four coats of paint would have been regarded as a standard treatment for external ironwork at this period; however bridges were usually given greater protection.<br /><br />The ironwork was initially given two coats of lead white ground in oil. The overall colour of both of these would have been off-white.<br /><br />Experience suggests that these first two coats are likely to have been applied to the ironwork before it was erected. For example, of three London road bridges recently investigated - <a href="http://bit.ly/6sYAGv">Tower Bridge</a>, and Battersea and <a href="http://schmap.it/h1npbd">Hammersmith</a> Bridges - each had been painted before erection.<br /><br />The third coat was in a paint made up of red iron oxide in oil. This pigment was used extensively on ironwork in the late nineteenth century. In view of the fact that a light tint is visible in the early photographs it is believed that the red iron oxide was applied once the Bridge had been assembled.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs252.snc1/9932_1127604719045_1495004822_30305683_4706417_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center> The Devon span being prepared for raising in 1858. NB off-white colour.<br />Acknowledgement: Science Museum</center><br /><br />The fourth coat in this first scheme is very interesting and is a very good example of what was called an Anti-Corrosive paint. Already by this time there was a long tradition for using textured paints in order to prolong the life of an external decorative scheme. Sand, road dust or ground glass was frequently added to oil-based paint to achieve this. On this occasion particles of glass can be seen quite clearly in this off-white layer of paint. The first scheme was completed when the ironwork was given a fifth coat of paint, which was also off-white.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs291.snc3/28209_1263328792062_1495004822_30571657_7425395_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center> The early layers of paint applied to the Bridge</center><br />Presumably the “Anti-Corrosive” paint was not as effective as was believed, for in 1861 the bridge was re-painted at a cost of £1,767 3s 3d.<br /><br />Between 1867 and 1882 a dark red-brown colour was employed on the ironwork. Such a scheme can be seen in this undated hand-coloured postcard.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs553.snc3/30279_1263444634958_1495004822_30571885_3164844_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Acknowledgement: Thomas Bowden</center><br />Subsequent schemes are unclear as a result of paint stripping operations carried out in recent years. However, it can be seen that grey had been employed for the last sixty of its 150 years. In view of the various modifications that have been carried out, the Bridge no longer looks like the one that was erected in 1859. For that reason there seemed no compelling need to replicate the original pale stone colour and an all-over grey was recommended as being as valid as any other.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-18264591877216673102010-03-16T14:17:00.012+00:002010-12-10T10:58:25.605+00:00Papers and Paints – The Early Years<center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs419.snc3/25265_1231201148891_1495004822_30510442_3601467_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br />In September 1960, <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> opened at 4 Park Walk, in the heart of an area of London once known as <a href="http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50021">Little Chelsea</a>. Park Walk connects the Fulham Road with the curious kink in the King’s Road that is known as ‘Moravian Corner". Many years before this minor side street had been lined with elms and was known variously as Lovers’ Walk and Twopenny Walk and marked the western boundary of Chelsea Park, which had formed part of the old estate of Sir Thomas More. In the early eighteenth century the enterprising Raw Silk Company had leased the park and planted 2,000 mulberry trees on which to breed silk worms, but the company failed, apparently because the wrong sort of mulberries had been planted and the silkworm larvae perished.<br /><br />In the nineteenth century Park Walk was thick with trees and was considered by many to be too dangerous to pass through after dark. The neighbourhood had always been mixed, with…<br /><br /><i>“…sizeable houses in private occupation by people of note [were] mingled with cottage terraces, lodging-houses, private mad-houses and, especially, the schools or academies that gathered here.”</i><sup>1</sup><br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs470.snc3/25784_1229006934037_1495004822_30505871_2199729_n.jpg"/></center><br /><center>Papers and Paints in 1960, when Park Walk was a two-way street</center><br /><br />Number 4 Park Walk had been a dairy at the end of the nineteenth century and then a grocer's shop. Soon after the War it was taken over as a a photographic studio by a Pole and his wife. On one side was a very run-down "greasy-spoon" cafe and on the other a small antique shop run by the legendary 'Nan' Hodson and her assistant "Chelsea Helen". That shop still retained its 'Blitz windows' until she died, when it was taken over by the head of Willis Faber and Dumas as another antique shop - a sideline to his City activities. Opposite Number 4 was "Gibbs Brothers" a small builders’ merchant, "Nobby” Clarke the cobbler and a newsagent's shop. On the corner of the Fulham Road was another antique shop that specialised in “poodle faking”, or tarting up pieces of dubious furniture. Further along the Fulham Road could be found Old Ma Parsons, whose shop sold corsetry to the gentry along with white wood furniture. Chelsea was a very different place and in the immediate neighbourhood, which has now become known as “The Beach”, one could find a tobacconist side by side with a coal merchant; a dairy; a baker and a butcher. It was an area that had changed little in thirty years and many of the wartime scenes from <a href="http://www.joanwyndham.com/">Joan Wyndham’s</a> published diaries were still recognisable.<br /><br />With money borrowed from an <a href="http://bit.ly/1ALdnn">uncle</a>, Robert Baty and Bill Rutter were responding to the growing trend in DIY as seen on British TV in the form of <a href="http://bit.ly/5lzd4U">Barry Bucknell</a> whose <i>Do It Yourself</i> was first broadcast in 1958. Robert had had a brief career in the family wine business, followed by a spell in P.R. and in advertising. Bill had been a graduate trainee at the John Lewis Partnership with political aspirations; however as John Lewis already had two MPs amongst its staff there was room for no more.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs470.ash1/25784_1229006974038_1495004822_30505872_436898_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>A view of the front half of the shop in 1960</center><br />The arrival of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/">Papers and Paints</a> at the beginning of the 1960s coincided with the start of a gradual change to the area. Park Walk was at the wrong end of the Kings’ Road to be greatly affected by the antics of Swinging Chelsea, being closer to the area known as World’s End. It would be ten years or so before the small tradesmen began to make way for trendy eateries such as <i>The Great American Disaster</i>, one of London’s first hamburger bars, and the <i>Hungry Horse</i> a true English restaurant. These were soon followed by the first of the more exotic Thai and Greek restaurants and the much-loved Belgian pastry shop, which was just opposite for many years.<br /><br />The area had what has been described as “raffish charm”. There were many pubs, now mostly gone, perhaps the best-known being <i>Finch’s</i> (since renamed), on the Fulham Road, with regulars such as the poet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Lee"> Laurie Lee</a>, the actor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Rossiter">Leonard Rossiter</a> and the TV newscaster <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Bosanquet"> Reginald Bosanquet</a>. The <i>Goat in Boots</i>,<sup>2</sup> originally with its Victorian Saloon and Public bars, which were swept away in favour of egg-like hanging chairs, has since seen many subsequent makeovers.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs470.ash1/25784_1229007014039_1495004822_30505873_2424465_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Original handbill announcing the services offered</center><br />It seems an unlikely setting for a shop selling specialist wall-treatments. Within a few months of opening the shop this handbill was distributed to all the houses in the immediate area. It sets out what nowadays would be pompously called the <i>mission statement</i> of Papers and Paints:<br /><br />• To offer a truly comprehensive home decorating service.<br />• To give our customers personal advice on technical problems and help and suggestions on colour schemes.<br />• To help those customers who cannot conveniently shop during the day, by staying open until eight o’clock every evening.<br /><br />In those days Papers and Paints had its own range of wallpaper designs and the original pattern book survives together with many other artefacts of the early years, including hundreds of paint colour cards from companies long gone. As well as stocking a range of sixty wallpapers, a trimming service was offered, as wallpapers still came with a border that needed to be removed before they could be hung.<br /><br />The hours were long: almost twelve hours a day, six days a week, with a half day’s “early closing” on Thursday. However this was reduced when Bill Rutter decided to leave and open up a business of his own a year after the opening of Papers and Paints. Robert continued with the help of his wife - part-time - for the next twenty years.<br /><br />The early clientele was composed of customers ranging from the residents of the nearby council flats to members of the aristocracy. One of the latter, a Duchess no less, was a model cutomer. Her arrival was marked by a middle-aged Rolls Royce and a leather-gaitered chauffeur who opened the shop door for her. Unlike some customers, she would happily await her turn for attention, chatting to a local 'Mrs Bloggs' about matters of the day. It was understood that "His Grace" told her that they could only afford to redecorate one room a year.<br /><br />During all this time Robert was helped by his wife Diana who even took over the shop completely when he went to hospital with pneumonia. Like 'The Windmill Theatre' it never closed.<br /><br />Other well-known visitors to Park Walk were the actors <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hemmings">David Hemmings</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Reeve">Christopher Reeve</a> (<i>Superman</i>) and footballer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Best">George Best</a>.<br /><br />The sculptor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Frink">Elisabeth Frink</a> worked in the next-door <a href="http://www.mumfordfineart.net/press/the-unknown-frink">Stanley Studios</a>, and she and a number of other well-known artists would often buy tins of Brolac house-paint.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs419.snc3/25265_1231197668804_1495004822_30510436_5810642_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center>Robert Baty in 1980</center><br />Finding the <a href="http://bit.ly/798EZN">British Standard colour range</a> too limiting, Robert Baty was one of the first retailers in the country to adopt the <i>Robbialac Colorizer system</i>. This offered a few hundred extra colours, which were originally thought sufficient. However, it wasn’t long before yet more colours were sought. Because of the demand for custom colours he began to colour match samples brought in to the shop. Over the years many thousands of custom colours were formulated and these early records still survive in the Papers and Paints' archives. This service has been extended and surfaces and objects can now be measured on a client’s own premises - see <a href="http://bit.ly/7rNGiI">Colour Surveys</a>.<br /><br />As well as a full range of decorating sundries, in its early days Papers and Paints also sold carpets and offered a fitting service. Receiving, on one memorable occasion, an order for over a mile of carpet for a house in the nearby Boltons. The large shop window was used to advantage and one Christmas might see a display of framed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo">Arcimboldo</a> prints, while the next might see a colourful collection of Spanish rugs or boxes of wine glasses.<br /><br />Throughout its first twenty years Papers and Paints developed a reputation as a colour specialist, incorporating a range of over a thousand colours. Customers would bring in a wide range of objects and ask for paints to be colour matched – old paint chips; wallpaper and fabric being everyday items. However, large or unwieldy objects would frequently appear, be they pieces of furniture; pub signs or articles of clothing. Several well-known interior decorators commissioned Papers and Paints to develop custom paint ranges for them and these collections survive and provide a perfect snapshot of fashionable colours of the <a href="http://bit.ly/3MJVo0">1960s</a> and 1970s.<br /><br />The next phase of the business started in the early 1980s, when Robert Baty’s son, Patrick, joined him after a brief career in the Army.<br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /></span></p><br /><sup>1</sup> Quote from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5234905715114021250&postID=1826459187721667310" uk="" compid="50021"">British History Online</a><br /><sup>2</sup> Its rather strange name is thought to have come from the Dutch ‘Mercurius is der Goden Boode’ which means ‘ Mercury is the Messenger of the Gods’ . (Mercury was the sign used by inns where post-horses were kept). The original feature of the gods’ messenger was transformed into the figure of a goat with boots, cutlass and spurs by the artist George Morland, an impoverished artist in payment of his tavern bill. <a href="http://www.elmparkmansions.co.uk/park-walk-history.html">Park Walk History</a>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-48342660342842751872010-01-27T15:24:00.006+00:002010-03-16T14:50:21.944+00:00Some More Paint Colours from the Past<center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17053_1194075820781_1495004822_30443030_1660729_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br />Encouraged by the recent reaction to a much earlier blog post on some<a href="http://papers-paints.blogspot.com/2009/04/paint-colours-of-past.html"> paint colours of the past</a> I thought it worth revisiting the subject.<br /><br />Introduction<br />Some fifteen years ago, in giving a talk to the Interior Decorators and Designers Association (now <a href="http://www.bida.org/"> BIDA</a>), I suggested that this “latest fashion” for historical paint colours was worthy of more than just superficial treatment, and how, if treated in a thoughtless way, it would have unfortunate knock-on implications.<br /><br />I didn’t, for a moment, expect my audience to listen and, sure enough, they didn’t. Several manufacturers have since brought out ranges of such colours, but rarely has sufficient care been taken with either their selection or description. The inevitable result is that a large element of parody and confusion has crept in. Although too late to be able to reverse this in any effective way I hope that a few basic points can be made clear.<br /><br />Historic Colours<br />It may be a small and somewhat pedantic matter, but you will note that there is a clear difference between the terms "Historic Colours", and "Historical Colours". By "Historic Colours" we surely mean "memorable colours, or those assured of a place in history". There are few of these, by definition, two which spring to mind being perhaps:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17053_1194078540849_1495004822_30443034_2231623_n.jpg" /></center><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple">Tyrian Purple</a> the purple dye extracted from a type of Mediterranean whelk, and used to colour the robes of Roman emperors, and…<br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs243.ash1/17053_1194078500848_1495004822_30443033_6942167_n.jpg" /></center><br />Pompeian Red, one of a range of red-brown colours found in the ancient city of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii">Pompeii</a>.<br /><br />Historical Colours<br />"Historical Colours", on the other hand, are those paint colours that were used in the past for the decoration of walls and woodwork. More specifically, they are colours that were used in the past as they were originally intended. Not colours as they have been distorted by light, dark, weather, age, chemical reaction, or "over-interpretation". Implicit in this, perhaps, is that they are also colours that saw a certain amount of usage, not just "one-offs". They should be colours that were in general use.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17053_1194075700778_1495004822_30443027_967606_n.jpg" /></center><br />When I say "over-interpretation" I mean the deliberate "tweaking" of colours to fit into perceived notions of the past. The problem with this is that, rather like a game of Chinese whispers, notions of what was done, or what was used in the past become distorted the further they are transmitted...to such an extent that without even having studied the subject, everyone now seems to have an idea of what colours were used in the past. These ideas sometimes border on the fantastic and this has been exploited, to a degree, by commercial interests.<br /><br /><i>Adam Green, Soane Yellow, Dining Room Red, Invisible Green, Dutch Pink, Shaker Blue</i>... these are all colour names that get bandied about, but perhaps we have never stopped to think about their origins. Perhaps we use the names without considering whether they mean the same thing to all of us. Certainly, when many customers at <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a> start to describe colours to me it often takes a while to appreciate what they are actually looking for.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17053_1194075860782_1495004822_30443031_3670808_n.jpg" /></center><br />Indeed, rather like the colour that I am often asked for..."<i>French château shutter blue</i>"...perhaps the name is purely an idea that encompasses, a certain combination of light, texture, and an indeterminate range of hues, that is in the eye of the beholder alone.<br /><br />One Should Question<br />If one is faced with the decoration of a room in an historical building how can one find out which of these ranges of "Historical Colours" are worthy of consideration? A few questions will quickly establish the serious contenders.<br /><br />Were any of these colours ever used as they are shown on the cards? Who says so? Was it that nice man in the paint shop; the all-to-brief blurb on the back of the paint chart with the impressive heritage credentials; or the talented designer friend who “knows about these things”?<br /><br />Has anyone sought to check? Does anyone really care? Frankly, does it really matter?<br /><br />Well no, it doesn't matter what colours people use on their walls, nor does it matter what people want to call these colours. If they want to evoke some distant past...a past set in the land of <i>Copper Kettledom</i>, if they want to be able to walk from their Georgian-style drawing room, through their dining room with its touches of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Larsson"> Carl Larsson</a>, to their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaker"> Shaker</a>-inspired kitchen, then fine. No sane person would attempt to prevent this in an ordinary domestic context.<br /><br />I feel very strongly, however, that it does matter how these colours are marketed. My concern about the careless, unchecked, and occasionally dishonest use of colours, and their names and associations, is that within a short time this misinformation is accepted as gospel by many of those responsible for looking after our built heritage. The evidence for this can already be seen in many of the buildings administered by various heritage organisations and will certainly be a hallmark of the 1990s.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17053_1194075900783_1495004822_30443032_2287948_n.jpg" /></center><br />Naturists May be Seen Beyond this Point<br />Organisations like the National Trust, for example, are very good at informing one about the more obvious things such as the presence of naturists on their beaches, or the contents of their houses, but one seldom hears the reasons behind their use of paint colour. By no means is this unique to that organisation. Subliminally the visitor will soak up the colours in those houses open to the public and make assumptions as I did when I started investigating over twenty five years ago.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs143.snc3/17053_1194075660777_1495004822_30443026_3707015_n.jpg" /></center><br />True Colours<br />The <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/colour_traditional_colours.asp">Traditional Colour</a> range by <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a>is still the only uncorrupted range of colours that have been matched to late eighteenth / early nineteenth century colour samples. Other ranges might have started off with that intention, but have been radically altered as other colours have been added to “fill in the gaps”.<br /><br />Some of the original 1807 colours were shown in the earlier blog post. The others can be seen in this one.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs123.snc3/17053_1194075740779_1495004822_30443028_1104613_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs123.snc3/17053_1194075780780_1495004822_30443029_3639168_n.jpg" /></center><br />Each of the colours in the Traditional Colours range has been matched and mixed using between four and eight colourants in order to produce a unique effect that is as close to the original as possible. The vitality and complexity of colour that results ensures that any attempt to match these colours with other manufacturer’s paints will result in disappointment. Our colours are often described as having “texture” and “depth”.<br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-15094586329714784742010-01-11T17:30:00.003+00:002010-01-11T17:38:54.539+00:00A Small Technical Hitch<script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="retroedgewebdesign";</script><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Introduction</span><br />One might be forgiven for thinking that all my work as an <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822">architectural paint researcher</a> consists solely of lengthy analyses of historic rooms and structures with a view to identifying their original appearance. Far from it, a certain amount of time is spent dealing with little colour “problems”, perhaps making adjustments to paint colours because it has been found that <i>en masse</i> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/15477112?access_key=key-113b8xrbx1l6hra1my9x">they don’t quite work</a>. It could be that colours considered “appropriate” for an <a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/11351908?access_key=key-28086grdf8xu72y6pxy2">historical setting are required</a>. On other occasions I am asked to specify the type of paint that will satisfy various technical needs – something that might resist <a href="http://scr.tw/wQSICLa">hordes of visitors</a> or <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperspaints/sets/72157623046160474/show/">severe weather conditions</a>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs237.snc3/22453_1182446610058_1495004822_30420679_2539442_n.jpg" /></center><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Background</span><br />A recent example of a paint problem concerned a church in North London. It would probably be best not to name it in case it is thought that this is considered critical, which it isn’t meant to be – merely illustrative of the kind of everyday problems that arise.<br /><br />This early nineteenth century church had been the subject of a major refurbishment, during which time the exterior was re-rendered and the roof replaced. It appears that there has always been a problem with damp and that there was a history of paint failure in the SE corner, in particular.<br /><br />Within a year, paint was flaking from the ceiling in the SE corner. From the shape of the flakes and the thin powdery deposit on the reverse of them damp was the most obvious cause. Although not apparent on site, when photographs were examined a slight stain could be seen in that area (see above). However, I was assured that the roof had been replaced and that the underside had been lined with <a href="http://www2.dupont.com/Tyvek/en_US/">Tyvek* sheeting</a>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs217.snc3/22453_1182357887840_1495004822_30420599_7519545_n.jpg" /></center><br />Borrowing a ladder I climbed up the outside of the building to a small trap door that gave access to the roof space. This was one of the tidiest roofs that I have seen, being clean, well-insulated and very neatly sheeted-out with Tyvek. Carefully stepping from one joist to another (and mindful of the consequences of falling through!) I made my way to the SE corner.<br /><br />The insulation seemed to be dry but I couldn’t lift it to inspect the underside. However, just above the area of suspected damp I noticed that the <span style="font-style: italic;">Tyvek</span> sheeting had been pierced by the stanchion that had been installed to support the <span style="font-style: italic;">Fall-Arrest</span> cabling erected on the parapet of the roof.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs217.snc3/22453_1182357927841_1495004822_30420600_5042411_n.jpg" /></center><br />Leaving my newspaper spread out over the insulation as a tell-tale to detect drips I left to write up my report.<br /><br />The key to all these jobs is thoroughness and <u>looking for oneself</u> not just accepting what one is told. I have also found that having <a href="http://scr.tw/OM5bRov">experience with heights</a> is a great bonus.<br /><br />*A material made from high-density polyethylene fibre which allows water vapour to pass through, but not liquid water.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /><p></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-20075251615658892602010-01-10T00:14:00.020+00:002010-11-13T21:43:48.576+00:00Stowe House - part 1<script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="retroedgewebdesign";</script><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs217.snc3/22453_1181198418854_1495004822_30417818_6392896_n.jpg" /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Introduction</span><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a> has recently finished an analysis of the early decorative schemes in a number of the prime rooms at <a href="http://bit.ly/879RZE"> Stowe House</a>. The house, which has been the home of <a href="http://bit.ly/5oqRVc"> Stowe School</a> since 1923 is currently undergoing a lengthy six phase restoration programme by the <a href="http://bit.ly/4ADCpf"> Stowe House Preservation Trust</a>. Phases 1 and 2 have recently been completed. This has included the restoration of the magnificent <a href="http://bit.ly/6UbGxg"> Marble Saloon</a>.<br /><br />This blog post will consist of two parts. This first giving a brief account of the history of the building and its occupants and the second on some of the things that I discovered during my <a href="http://bit.ly/v5zhF">analysis</a> of the paint.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs217.snc3/22453_1181198458855_1495004822_30417819_1623272_n.jpg" /></center><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Background</span><br />The Temple family acquired the estate in 1593. In 1677 Sir Richard Temple 3rd Bart (1634-97) built a brick house, which remains the core of the existing building. His son, also Richard (1675-1749), inherited the house in 1697. He was a soldier, rising to the rank of Lieutenant General, and finally becoming <a href="http://bit.ly/4uMKZC">Viscount Cobham</a> in 1718. He brought in <a href="http://bit.ly/637fzW">John Vanbrugh</a>, who extended the house, and <a href="http://bit.ly/6ejFih">Charles Bridgeman</a>, who carried out extensive landscaping of the estate.<br /><br />Stowe was inherited by Lord Cobham’s nephew, Richard Grenville (1711-79). He soon became <a href="http://bit.ly/6mi6JD">Earl Temple</a> and was described as being the richest man in England. Much of this wealth was used to enhance Stowe - the existing north and south fronts and most of the interiors date from this time.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs237.snc3/22453_1181507506581_1495004822_30418260_2118774_n.jpg" /></center><br />Earl Temple’s nephew, George Grenville (1753-1813) was made <a href="http://bit.ly/7UrqUH">Marquess of Buckingham</a>. His eldest son, Richard (1776-1839) achieved the family’s long-standing ambition of a dukedom, being made Duke of Buckingham and Chandos in 1822. By the end of his life overspending had led to a number of economies, which resulted in the sales that started in 1833 and the house being shut up.<br /><br />The second Duke inherited his father’s extravagance and became known as the “Greatest Debtor in the World”. His debt was such that in 1848 the contents of the house were sold over forty days and shortly after he occupied a <a href="http://bit.ly/8bQ2RW">Grace and Favour apartment</a> at <a href="http://bit.ly/7joZMu">Hampton Court Palace</a>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs237.snc3/22453_1181198498856_1495004822_30417820_7692908_n.jpg" /></center><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/7pWdCJ">Richard</a>, the third Duke (1823-89) attempted to restore the family’s fame and fortune by taking on a long list of public appointments. He died unexpectedly in 1889 and most of his titles either died with him or transferred out of the immediate family. His daughter, Lady Kinloss, was prepared to sell Stowe on her father’s death, but no buyer could be found. She, therefore, let the house to the <a href="http://bit.ly/6qW3iF">Comte de Paris</a>, the claimant to the French throne. He died in 1894 and the house was again empty until the widowed Lady Kinloss occupied it from 1901 to 1907.<br /><br />Her eldest son, the Master of Kinloss, inherited the house in 1908, but he was killed in the first year of the <a href="http://bit.ly/5oBYz0">Great War</a>. Stowe passed to his brother the Rev. the Hon. Louis Morgan-Grenville, who put it up for sale in 1921. The buyer was a Mr Harry Shaw, who had hoped to present the house to the nation. However he was unable to raise the necessary endowment and was forced to sell it the following year.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs237.snc3/22453_1181198538857_1495004822_30417821_1463657_n.jpg" /></center><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/5oqRVc">Stowe School</a>, has been the guardian of the house since 1922. Since that time some of the family portraits and other items associated with the house have been bought back and are now on display in the house. Unable to continue with the maintenance and restoration of the house and garden, the School gave <a href="http://bit.ly/4vUEDL">Stowe Landscape Gardens</a> to the <a href="http://bit.ly/5Z5PNL">National Trust</a> in 1989. In 1997 the <a href="http://bit.ly/4ADCpf">Stowe House Preservation Trust</a> was founded with the responsibility for repairing and presenting the house. With the assistance of the <a href="http://bit.ly/70IziC">Heritage Lottery Fund</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/5cc9rk">English Heritage</a> and the <a href="http://bit.ly/6PEpH0">World Monument Fund</a> amongst others a programme of restoration is now taking place.<br /><br />More views of the North front can be seen in these two short film clips:<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LZAqYWuyLEE&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LZAqYWuyLEE&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />This one was taken by me while working on the Library:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/neAykxdjoHg&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/neAykxdjoHg&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">(Much of this has been taken from Michael Bevington's <i>Stowe House.</i> Paul Holberton, 2002.)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /></div><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /><p></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-3069238466733999642009-11-14T10:51:00.006+00:002009-11-14T11:48:54.076+00:00Geffrye Museum Update<script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="retroedgewebdesign";</script><br /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://www.neverpaintagain.co.uk/img/bookmark.jpg" alt="Bookmark and Share" class="nostyle" border="0" /></a><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11248_1144136572331_1495004822_30340592_6957833_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br />A very brief post this time as I am currently working on a large number of projects. I hope to write some of these up in the future.<br /><br />Having carried out the analysis of the exterior paint at the Geffrye Museum earlier <a href="http://bit.ly/2c3tvl">(see blog post 18th April 2009)</a> I was keen to see how my report had been acted on. An occasion arose on Friday, when I was back at the Museum, this time as a speaker at the Traditional Paint Forum conference - <a href="http://bit.ly/47g1Dv">From "Gilding the Lily" to "Any Old Iron": Protecting and Decorating Metal with Traditional Paints.</a>*<br /><br />The overall impression of the new livery is one of restraint - so much so that many visitors will not immediately notice a difference. Indeed, the changes are very subtle and one might be tempted to ask "Why the fuss?"<br /><br />Previously the front doors of the fourteen former almshouses and the central chapel were painted in a variant of Brunswick Green (a colour first introduced in the late 1820s). The window and door surrounds; cills; modillion cornice and chapel quoins were painted white. The downpipes and balustrades to the front steps were painted black.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs005.snc3/11248_1144130412177_1495004822_30340558_2183901_n.jpg" /></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The old colours<br /></div><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs025.snc3/11248_1144130372176_1495004822_30340557_3931469_n.jpg" /></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The new colours<br /></div><br />And now? Well, a dark green has been retained for the doors; the white has been "broken" and grey has replaced the black on the ironwork. Hardly a big difference. The contrasts have been reduced and a softer appearance given to the buildings. All the colours are based on those uncovered during the investigation of the painted surfaces and, at the same time, reflect those in general use on exteriors during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A longer account of <a href="http://bit.ly/2r3qMz">the use of external colour can be found here</a>.<br /><br />For some thoughts on front doors see<a href="http://bit.ly/3NL5R6"> blog post 6th July 2009</a>.<br /><br />*Incidentally an earlier paper based on my talk on the <a href="http://bit.ly/1nkYsZ">colour of architectural ironwork can be seen here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-39473675925369504922009-10-18T16:04:00.027+01:002010-11-26T07:11:55.287+00:00A Brunel Bridge - part one<script type="text/javascript"> </script> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://www.neverpaintagain.co.uk/img/bookmark.jpg" alt="Bookmark and Share" class="nostyle" border="0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127605039053_1495004822_30305691_123166_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br /><b style=""><span style="line-height: 105%;font-size:14px;" lang="EN-GB" > </span></b> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Introduction</span><br />Not since his days as a <a href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127930007177_1495004822_30306308_1692923_n.jpg">military parachutist</a> has <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a> experienced such a “buzz” as when he walked over the top of the <a href="http://www.royalalbertbridge.co.uk/"> Royal Albert Bridge</a> recently. To the endless variety of projects and the thrill of being the first to find the answers can be added the excitement of working in demanding conditions at great height.<br /><br />The Royal Albert Bridge spans the River Tamar and carries the railway from Devon to Cornwall in the south west of England. Completed in 1859, it was the last bridge designed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel"> Isambard Kingdom Brunel </a>and is probably his finest work. The Bridge is 2,240 feet (683 metres) long and each of the two main spans is 455 feet (140 metres). It is 172 feet (52 metres) high in the centre of each span.<br /><br />A major feat of engineering at any time, but to have built such a structure 150 years ago is quite remarkable. This photograph was taken in 1858 and shows the Devon span before it was raised into position.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs252.snc1/9932_1127604719045_1495004822_30305683_4706417_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br /><b style=""> </b> <b style=""> </b> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Background</span><br />As part of the 150<sup>th</sup> anniversary research is being carried out on the original paint colour applied to the Bridge. Having previously worked on the paint analysis of several other bridges, notably <a href="http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TBE/EN/"> Tower Bridge</a>; <a href="http://www.southwarkbridge.co.uk/project/">Southwark Bridge</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_Bridge"> Hammersmith Bridge</a> Patrick was well-equipped to deal with this project.<br /><br />Being a recent convert to <a href="http://twitter.com/paperspaints/">Twitter</a> and keen to put it to the test, Patrick had sent a “tweet” to <a href="http://twitter.com/BBCCornwall/">BBC Cornwall</a> announcing the impending visit. Within two hours they had telephoned him and said that a cameraman would be on site to record the event.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Planning</span><br />Clearly, with trains running, it was not going to be possible to carry out the sampling of the paint during the day. However, in the early afternoon a quick reconnaissance was made in order to work out a strategy for the night.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127604879049_1495004822_30305687_2584321_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Samples would be taken from the arch on the Devon side (the Devon Portal) and then along the top of the two spans {see view of the top of the Devon span below) before descending the ladder on the Cornwall Portal. The return trip would be made along the track.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127604999052_1495004822_30305690_3413671_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />While on top of the Devon Portal Patrick noticed a cameraman on the neighbouring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamar_Bridge">Tamar Bridge</a> and when he returned to the car park was interviewed by John Banks for <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/spotlight/"> BBC Spotlight</a>. The interview, which went out on the regional news that evening can be seen <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8287000/8287440.stm">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127604759046_1495004822_30305684_5390606_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Initial Research</span><br />The remainder of the afternoon was spent carrying out initial research. Fortunately the <a href="http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/museumpcmag.htm/">Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery</a> was holding an exhibition on the Bridge which contained many images of it taken over the years. The next-door <a href="http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/leisureandtourism/libraries/findyourlibrary/centrallibrary/referencelibrary.htm/">Reference Library</a> had several files of news cuttings and a photograph album which gave good background information.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sampling</span><br />At midnight, following a safety briefing and equipment check, Patrick and two colleagues from <a href="http://www.networkrail.co.uk/"> Network Rail</a> walked along the track towards the Devon Portal. With only head torches the climb to the top was uneventful, the lights in the distance giving no clue to the height.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs252.snc1/9932_1127604919050_1495004822_30305688_8160783_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br />Samples were taken from many elements of the Bridge, including some that were known to have been added in the twentieth century. The paint layers on these alterations would help to provide a series of datum points from which the age of many of the decorative schemes could be established. In many ways paint sampling can be compared to assembling a <a href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127939127405_1495004822_30306314_5479810_n.jpg">jigsaw puzzle</a> without having the lid of the box to work from.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127604839048_1495004822_30305686_1890905_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />One such element was the handrail (erected in 1924) which provided a confidence booster while walking over the top of the two spans. At nearly 180 feet (55 metres) above the water and with a steeply curving profile it was good to be able to clip the safety harnesses to something as they made their way across.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs252.snc1/9932_1127604959051_1495004822_30305689_7916226_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Having crossed over to Cornwall the return was made along the track. It could be seen that the downstream side of the Bridge suffers from heavier weathering and so care was taken to ensure that samples were taken from both sides to ensure that the full story would be told.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Analysis and Further Research</span><br />The samples have all now been set in resin; cut and polished. Before examining them Patrick is undertaking further documentary research on the building and maintenance of the Bridge. With the very generous assistance of Thomas Bowden<sup>1</sup> who has recently published a history of the Bridge he is now assembling a large collection of photographs to aid his interpretation of the paint layers.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9932_1127604799047_1495004822_30305685_2785139_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />With thanks to Network Rail for their assistance and support in this research project.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br />[A further blog, which shows the results of the analysis can be seen here - <a href="http://bit.ly/c6S4gh">A Brunel Bridge - part two</a>]<br /><br />Note<br /><sup>1 </sup>Thomas Bowden is the author and publisher (ATM Publishing - email atmpublishing@gmx.com) of "Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge Saltash - Revisited" published in April 2009 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Royal Albert Bridge by HRH Prince Albert on 2nd May 1859.<br /><br />Thomas is a retired railwayman who has been interested in the Bridge for over 50 years and has a good knowledge of the Bridge having walked across it four times. Over the past fifty years he has acquired an image bank of over 700 images of the Bridge. Thomas now owns and runs a small publishing business specialising in short run, specialist subject transport publications.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /></a></center><br /><br /><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822">Click for more information on what I do.</a>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-89811484325635646782009-09-03T20:38:00.014+01:002010-11-13T21:43:15.517+00:00A Tudor Garden<script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="retroedgewebdesign";</script><br /> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://www.neverpaintagain.co.uk/img/bookmark.jpg" alt="Bookmark and Share" class="nostyle" border="0" /></a><br /> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs257.snc1/10423_1102486171097_1495004822_30248209_6890419_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Introduction</span><br />A new garden has been created at Hampton Court Palace to commemorate the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII’s accession to the throne in 1509. The Tudor Garden has been designed by landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan and now fills the hitherto empty Chapel Court.<br /><br />Planted with flowers and herbs that were available in 16th century England it also includes the heraldic beasts that were used by the King to represent his lineage and reinforce his claim to the throne.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Research</span><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a> of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a> was commissioned to carry out research into the pigments that were available at that time, the colours that were used and the correct disposition of colour. It was one thing to show that the dragon was meant to be red, for example, but what colour were its claws and its eyes? He produced a report mindful that…<br /><br /><blockquote><i>Heraldry is sometimes called a little science; and an artist, however skilled in other spheres, who tries his hand at it without previous long experience in its complex and capricious ways, may be entering the realms of Trouble.</i><sup>1</sup></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colours</span><br />The range of pigments in use has changed since the sixteenth century. Many of the earlier ones were unsatisfactory. Far from providing the clear bright colours required of heraldry several were unstable and prone to fading when applied in an oil medium – especially on external surfaces.<br /><br />The principal heraldic colours (or <i>tinctures</i>) of the time were as follows:<br /><br /><i>Sable</i> - Black (mixed with lamp black)<br /><i>Gules</i> - Red (mixed with vermilion)<br /><i>Azure</i> - Blue (mixed with azurite)<br /><i>Vert</i> - Green (mixed with verdigris)<br /><br />There are also two Metals:<br /><br /><i>Or</i> - Gold (frequently shown as yellow)<br /><i>Argent</i> - Silver (usually shown as white as silver tarnishes)<br /><br />The eight Royal Beasts in the Tudor Garden have been painted (and gilded) with the correct heraldic colours of the period.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Royal Beasts</span><br /><br />1) <u>White Greyhound of Richmond</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs277.snc1/10423_1102445770087_1495004822_30248155_7017873_n.jpg" /></center><br />The Greyhound is a symbol of loyalty and celerity, and was a beast adopted by Edward III and by many of his descendants, particularly those of the House of Lancaster, from which line Henry VII was descended. Edmund Tudor, the Earl of Richmond and father of Henry VII was granted a white Greyhound as a heraldic supporter<sup>2</sup> by his half-brother Henry VI, which is why it was known as the Greyhound of Richmond. The Greyhound was a favourite Tudor beast and a supporter of the arms of both Henry VII and sometimes of his son Henry VIII.<br /><br />It appears that the Greyhound was also a badge and supporter of Sir John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset as may be seen in the Somerset Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral. Sir John was John of Gaunt’s eldest son by Katherine Swynford, and from him the Greyhound, like his son’s Yale (q.v.), descended to Henry’s mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort (Henry VIII’s grandmother).<br /><br />2) <u>Golden Lion of England</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs277.snc1/10423_1102445850089_1495004822_30248157_1616282_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />A golden Lion has been the royal beast of England since the early 12th century.<br /><br />Richard I probably first chose three golden lions as the Royal Arms of England. The Lion was used frequently by Henry VIII for his <i>dexter</i><sup>3</sup> supporter and has been one of the supporters of the Royal Arms since James I in 1603.<br /><br />3) <u>White Hart</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs277.snc1/10423_1102445810088_1495004822_30248156_1893554_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />The White Hart may have been derived from Richard II’s mother, Joan Holland’s badge of a hind. It was adopted as a Yorkist badge and is shown as a supporter of the arms of Edward V in the south aisle of St George’s Chapel, Windsor.<br /><br />4) <u>Black Bull of Clarence</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs257.snc1/10423_1102445610083_1495004822_30248152_3790019_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />The black bull was used as a badge by Lionel Duke of Clarence, second son of Edward III, and ancestor of the Yorkist kings. It was the <i>sinister</i> heraldic supporter of the arms of England under Edwards IV and V and Richard III.<br /><br />5) <u>Silver Yale of Beaufort</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs257.snc1/10423_1102445930091_1495004822_30248159_5003732_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />The Yale has the body of an Antelope, a Lion’s tail and horns which can swivel round to counter attack from all quarters. It is usually shown spotted with gold roundels (called bezants). The horns, hooves, tusks, tufts of hair and the crown about its neck and its chain are all gold.<br /><br />The Yale appears for the first time in heraldry as a supporter of the arms of John, Duke of Bedford and Earl of Kendal (a son of Henry IV). His earldom of Kendal and the dukedom of Somerset were granted in 1443 to Sir John Beaufort (Henry VII’s grandfather) who took the Eagle and Bedford Yale as supporters.<br /><br />6) <u>Red Dragon of Wales</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs257.snc1/10423_1102445650084_1495004822_30248153_1048238_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />The Red Dragon was used as his badge by Henry VII’s grandfather, Sir Owen Tudor, who took it as a token of his supposed descent from Cadwalader, the last native ruler of Britain. The Welsh Dragon was used by all the Tudor sovereigns – the three kings colouring it red, while Mary and Elizabeth made it gold.<br /><br />7) <u>Panther</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs257.snc1/10423_1102445890090_1495004822_30248158_1308281_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />A Panther had been counted among the number of royal beasts since the time of Henry IV. The heraldic Panther is generally shown as “incensed”, with flames coming from its mouth and ears, which represents its fragrant breath. The flames induce all other animals to approach it; the Dragon alone retreats.<br /><br />The Panther is also usually shown with red and blue spots although there are early examples which are spotted with red, blue and gold.<br /><br />A Panther is also found as the <i>dexter</i> supporter of the Duke of Beaufort’s arms.<br /><br />8) <u>Silver Falcon of Plantagenets</u><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs277.snc1/10423_1102445730086_1495004822_30248154_363418_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Although the silver falcon was first used by Edward III, it became a Yorkist creature. It descended to Edward IV. When shown with an open fetterlock it refers to the struggle Edward IV had to ascend the throne.<br /><br />There have been a couple of attempts to recreate a Tudor Garden in recent years, but this one at Hampton Court Palace must be one of the most magnificent.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOTES</span><br /><br />1) The Hon. Sir George Bellew, Garter King of Arms, in Foreword to Stanford London’s <i>The Queen’s Beasts</i>. Newman Neame. 1953, 10.<br /><br />2) Supporters are the creatures placed on either side of the arms as this contemporary example of Queen Jane Seymour’s arms shows:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs277.snc1/10423_1102464130546_1495004822_30248162_4307108_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />3) In heraldic terms <i>Dexter</i> means the right-hand side of the shield from the standpoint of the man behind it and <i>Sinister</i> means the left-hand side.<br /><br />To those who have asked what the red poles are (perfectly fair question) - they are holding banners as can be seen here:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs575.ash2/149716_1432781828282_1495004822_30919156_7994427_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-8470090954484271242009-07-06T22:22:00.000+01:002009-07-07T22:45:58.071+01:00Some Thoughts on Front Doors (part 1)<center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs125.snc1/5375_1072781788506_1495004822_30177312_4075247_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_button=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/button/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Introduction</span><br /><br />Paint is used on external surfaces to provide: Protection, Decoration, or Identification<br /><br />…and very often it serves at least two out of three of these functions. Here it could be argued that all three are being served:<br /><br />a) The wooden door is being protected from the elements,<br />b) The door has been very carefully and very well painted, conveying a feeling of quality,(*)<br />c) A sober, no-nonsense colour - black - has been chosen, which, combined with the highly polished surface emphasises the status of the building and its occupants.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs125.snc1/5375_1072781828507_1495004822_30177313_4985129_n.jpg" /></center><br />As a contrast, here is a door that:<br /><br />a) Has also been protected from the elements,<br />b) Has been very carefully and thoughtfully painted, and<br />c) Is also making a statement, but this time of the two-fingered variety!<br /><br />Without going to this extreme it is still possible to make a statement, whilst both acknowledging the architecture and also ones neighbours.<br /><br />Front door colours are something that <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a> has specialised in for many years. Most house owners are very conscious of what the colour on their front door says about them and want to present a good face to the world<br /><br />But first a little background:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs145.snc1/5375_1072781868508_1495004822_30177314_6250344_n.jpg" /></center><br />The eighteenth century convention was for a dark door as this example from Bath shows. Note how the door furniture is painted black rather than being shiny brass. The door, however, would never have been black<br /><br />This treatment was to change very little over the next century, although the colour range broadened.<br /><blockquote>“the front door is to be finished green, and is to be twice varnished with the best copal varnish, and is also to have the number of the house painted thereon”</blockquote>So read an early Victorian specification, which is revealing for what it tells us about the high degree of sheen that was considered desirable.<br /><br />In the early years of the nineteenth century a rather murky green would have been produced by adding a black pigment to yellow ochre. However, from the second quarter of the century <span style="font-style: italic;">Bronze greens</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Brunswick greens</span> became popular. These both appeared in a number of variations and saw great use over the next one hundred years plus.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs145.snc1/5375_1072781908509_1495004822_30177315_5780671_n.jpg" /></center><br />In its light form the former colour gave the impression of patinated bronze. An example of this can be seen on the door of the Soane Museum, in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.<br /><br />The brighter Brunswick greens were made possible by the introduction of the pigment chrome yellow in the 1820s. An example of the light form of this can be seen here:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs145.snc1/5375_1072781948510_1495004822_30177316_4114246_n.jpg" /></center><br />This is the sort of colour scheme likely to have been found on a typical suburban house until the 1960s. The darker version of this colour was sometimes known as “British Racing Green”.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs145.snc1/5375_1072781988511_1495004822_30177317_7460509_n.jpg" /></center><br />If not painted green, front doors were often grained in imitation of oak (often referred to as <span style="font-style: italic;">Wainscot</span>). This sort of treatment was frequently given to other external joinery as indicated in another nineteenth century specification:<br /><blockquote>“To grain in the best manner in imitation of wainscot, and varnish twice with strong copal, the whole of the external woodwork of the lodge.”</blockquote>Graining is still seen widely in Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland, but less so in England. I wonder if this example photographed in Chiswick nearly twenty years ago survives? The superb walnut-grained front door has a protective curtain, which would have prolonged its life even more.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs125.snc1/5375_1072782028512_1495004822_30177318_7594185_n.jpg" /></center><br />Surprisingly perhaps, a grained front door will remain looking good for much longer than a merely varnished wooden door, where little protection from UV light is provided. Very quickly the wood goes grey, as can be seen here:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs125.snc1/5375_1072782068513_1495004822_30177319_1144986_n.jpg" /></center><br />A number of brownish colours were also employed. These ranged from reddy-brown, through browns of the same tonality of oak, to much darker chocolate browns. Sometimes the doorcase, if there was one, and the door surround would have been painted in the same colour as the front door. Frequently, however, these elements would have been painted in a pale stone colour.<br /><br />A popular brown is mentioned here in connection with the windows:<br /><blockquote>“The sashes are to be finished dark purple brown; the front door is to be painted green and to be twice varnished with the best copal…”</blockquote>So reads another typical specification of the 1840s for a small terraced house of the type that can still be found in many British cities.<br /><br />As mentioned already, doors would often have had a glossy finish, which was achieved by applying two coats of copal varnish over the (already shiny) oil paint. The notion that a matt finish was desirable on external surfaces during the period is false, and based on the tendency of lead paint to "chalk" after only a few years. From an early date it was well understood that a paint with a degree of sheen was necessary to cope with everyday wear and tear and the rigours of the weather. It is somewhat ironic that the huge demand for an “external eggshell” paint has been led by those companies producing ranges of ostensibly “historic” colours.<br /><br />A walk through the streets of surviving eighteenth century houses in Spitalfields, London, used to be a faintly depressing experience (as can be seen in the following article that I wrote for <a href="http://cli.gs/Ebs2Du%20"> Country Life</a> in 1992 - Such solecisms as brilliant white combined with prissy picking out in dark blue could be found alongside other colours of a kind unknown before the 1930s. That has largely changed although now one is somewhat overwhelmed by “taste” as these two examples from Bath show:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs145.snc1/5375_1073147997661_1495004822_30178430_7359694_n.jpg" /></center><br />Here we have the "Anonymous" front door with its satin nickel door furniture and its close cousin the "Phantom", where camouflage is the order of the day.<br /><br />(To be continued...)<br /><br />For advice on front door colours contact <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a><br /><br /><span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Patrick Baty</span></a><br /><br /></span></span>Tel. +44 (0)20-7352-8626<br /><br />(*)There are two identical front doors for No 10 Downing Street that are swapped over whenever maintenance is required. The '0' in the number 10 is painted at an angle as the original door has a badly-fixed zero. Perhaps only in Britain would a tradition evolve from such a mistake!<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> </a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /><center style="font-family: times new roman;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Click for more information on what I do.</span></a></center><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-72513926153621144792009-05-19T14:23:00.003+01:002010-11-22T09:49:09.926+00:00The Elizabethan Garden at Kenilworth Castle<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054672775792_1495004822_30134926_1097019_n.jpg" /></center><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_button=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/button/documents.gif" /></a></center><br />Background<br />English Heritage has recently re-created one of the greatest gardens of the Elizabethan age in the grounds of Kenilworth Castle, in Warwickshire.<br /><br />The original garden was built by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s nine-day visit to the castle in July 1575. She had presented Kenilworth Castle to Dudley, her favourite, in the fifth year of her reign, and he had added to it and furnished it with many wonderful things. The garden was at the height of fashion and incorporated both Tudor and Renaissance elements, as well as Italianate features.<br /><br />This was an unusual project for <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a>, but not because it concerned an early formal garden, for we had already advised on the recreation of King William III’s Privy Garden and on Henry VIII’s beasts at Hampton Court Palace (see the entry for 23rd March, <a href="http://bit.ly/3Ji8Qr">below</a>). It was unusual because it was a last-minute trouble-shooting project with which we had had no prior involvement.<br /><br />The Problem<br />The architect had tried to match the colour of the Hollington Stone of the Castle for the painting of the green oak balustrades and the aviary, and had made a very good job of it. Unfortunately when the painted balustrade was juxtaposed with the grass of the terrace an unfortunate effect was created.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054673055799_1495004822_30134933_3342338_n.jpg" /></center><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a> recognised that this was a phenomenon known as Complementary Contrast – where the redness of the balustrade was exaggerated by the green of the grass.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054673015798_1495004822_30134932_6734888_n.jpg" /></center><br />The situation was almost as bad when seen against the new stone on the base of the aviary, although here it appeared more grey-blue.<br /><br />Many years experience of adjusting colours to suit clients’ tastes had made it clear that the dull yellow earth colour, known as yellow ochre, was called for. However, this was not purely a colour issue as the adjusted coating still had to answer all the technical needs required of it and not invalidate the manufacturer’s guarantee. To complicate matters the colour range of the German paint that had been chosen was very limited and there was no time to order a special colour from Germany. The impending opening of the garden meant that Patrick, had only one chance to resolve the matter.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054672975797_1495004822_30134931_4330316_n.jpg" /></center><br />Fortunately one of the sixteen available colours was a light ochre and Patrick’s solution was to apply a thin wash of this over the existing colour. The painting contractor was very enterprising, understood what was required and produced an excellent result, which can be seen in the “before and after” images above.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054672935796_1495004822_30134930_6403043_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />The Garden<br />The recreation has been based on a detailed description in a letter written by Robert Langham (sometimes Laneham), a mercer and minor court official, and on archaeological investigations by English Heritage and research by its garden historians.<br /><br />A combination of these resources led to the discovery of the base of the eight-sided fountain in the centre of the garden. There was sufficient information to enable a new one to be carved out of white marble. The base has been decorated with carvings that illustrate scenes from Ovid’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Metamorphoses</span> and on a central pedestal are two male figures – called ‘Atlantes’ – holding a sphere surmounted by a ragged staff, which was Dudley’s heraldic emblem.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054672815793_1495004822_30134927_7699232_n.jpg" /></center><br />Langham described how the garden was split into four quarters, each containing porphyry obelisks and these have been recreated in painted wood.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054672895795_1495004822_30134929_8303575_n.jpg" /></center><br />He described the aviary as being “beautified with great diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires … and garnished with gold” and this has also been reconstructed (see below).<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054672855794_1495004822_30134928_732051_n.jpg" /></center><br />He went on to describe how there was a terrace close to the wall of the Castle. On this there were more obelisks, great balls, and white heraldic beasts, all perched on posts. At each end of the terrace was a bower, smelling of sweet flowers and trees. Once again all these elements have been recreated.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs013.snc1/4203_1054672735791_1495004822_30134925_555998_n.jpg" /></center><br />A very good (brief) film of the restoration can be seen on the <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.20603"> English Heritage website</a>.<br /><br />Within a very short time <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints</a> were able to sort out a minor problem that could otherwise have marred the £2 million restoration.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Tel. +44 (0)20-7352-8626<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-10824652816635490022009-05-10T18:02:00.000+01:002009-05-18T12:50:10.414+01:00The Problem with "Distemper"<center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3910/189/95/1495004822/n1495004822_30127125_5024128.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_button=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/button/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />Having been involved with <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/colour_historical_colours.asp"> Historical </a> and <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/colour_traditional_colours.asp"> Traditional </a> colours for many years, we are frequently asked for advice on traditional paint.<br /><br />Every day <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a> and his team at <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a> see confusion amongst members of the general public who come in clutching articles torn from the lighter weight "House Wonderful" type magazines, which urge them to create a "period feel" using "traditional" paints compounded of such things as whiting, buttermilk and a bit of PVA to make it stick. Furthermore every kind of surface can, it seems, be given this sort of treatment in order to create the "distressed palazzo", "Mediterranean", "Colonial", or "Country House" look - all of which seem to be associated with the term "traditional."<br /><br />There is confusion, too, over the incidental cross-over between several of the traditional coatings and those that may be regarded as ecologically friendly. Certainly, a white lime wash and a soft distemper may be so regarded, but these qualities are often automatically extended to include all of the less modern paints, no matter what type or colour.<br /><br />Unfortunately, because of the large amount of money tied up in this area of the decorating industry it is very difficult to find clear dispassionate advice shorn of profit-mongering. The merchants of snake-oil (or should that be <i>peanut oil</i>?) are still very much with us.<br /><br />Perhaps it is the word <i>distemper</i> that causes the most confusion. Few are aware that this is a generic term encompassing several different coatings. There really is only one type that is of relevance to historical buildings – or any building for that matter.<br /><br /><i>Soft Distemper</i>, as it is more commonly called, is excellent for the coating of elaborate decorative plasterwork or ceilings. Washed, finely-ground chalk, known as <i>whiting</i>, forms the main constituent. This is loosely bound with a water-soluble glue size usually made from animal bones, horns or skin, often nowadays going under the name of <i>rabbit skin glue</i>.<br /><br />This is a coating that is made up by the decorator shortly before carrying out the work. In view of the animal glue content once it has been made it has a very limited shelf-life, going rancid after a short time even if refrigerated. By definition, therefore, one cannot buy a true soft distemper in a tin.<br /><br />Soft distemper is applied by brush and can be removed with a wet sponge when dirty or in need of recoating. Its great advantage is that when applied to ornate plaster ceilings, for example, the detail is not lost as it must be removed before redecoration. An emulsion paint, on the other hand, would add yet another disfiguring layer that will eventually require removal.<br /><br />As well as its permeability to moisture vapour, which makes it an option in areas inclined to mild damp, soft distemper has the added bonus of being cheap. It is easily made and applied, and can be laid on quickly, provided that an experienced decorator is at hand.<br /><br />It is not durable however and is neither washable nor suitable for areas of heavy traffic, hence the modern name of <i>soft distemper</i>. As a result, in the nineteenth century, various binders were added to increase its resilience. The additives varied in type and efficiency, and would often have had a profound effect on the technical properties of the paint. One wonders how “breathable” <i>Morley’s Rubber Distemper</i> would have been?<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3910/189/95/1495004822/n1495004822_30127124_7571490.jpg" /></center><br />One of the most common sorts of 'improved' distempers were the primitive emulsions known as <i>Oil-Bound Distemper</i>, <i>Casein-Bound Distemper</i> or more properly <i>Water Paint</i>. Note here the use of the word 'emulsion' to indicate a mixture of two liquids that normally cannot be combined - such as oil and water. It may come as a shock to learn of the very fine line between a bound distemper or water paint and an emulsion paint, as found on the shelves of many builders’ merchants.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3910/189/95/1495004822/n1495004822_30127122_6225128.jpg" /></center><br />By "oil-bound", it is meant that the paint was an oil-water-emulsion, in much the same way that milk is. Water and oil were combined with a solution of soap or a caustic alkali (such as lime) which saponified the oil, and the mixture was agitated until the oil broke down into tiny globules which remained in suspension as an emulsion.<br /><br />These early emulsion paints were generally supplied in a stiff paste, which was thinned with water to a brushable consistency for application. On evaporation of the water, the paint dried to a porous film, with the glue - often in the form of casein - acting as a temporary binder during the drying of the oil, which finally hardened the film so that it became moderately wipeable. One of these early brands, <i>Alabastine</i>, was also used as a plaster filler – a questionable advantage as far as a paint goes.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3910/189/95/1495004822/n1495004822_30127120_6798554.jpg" /></center><br />The current trend for labelling or referring to these primitive emulsion paints as <i>distemper</i> is storing a problem for the future. Lulled into thinking that the substrate can breathe under an historically appropriate and pleasingly matt coating it is frequently specified or employed by well-meaning house-owners. Unfortunately, these early form of emulsions had a number of weaknesses. Certainly they had a matt finish and some did have a degree of permeability to moisture, however they did not have the key advantage of soft distemper, and that is its reversibility.<br /><br />Some years ago, when the Journal of The Traditional Paint Forum, commissioned the Paint Research Association to make comparisons between a typical trade emulsion paint and a <i>Water Paint</i> that was being sold as a <i>distemper</i>, it was found that there was scarcely any difference in the moisture vapour permeability of both systems.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3910/189/95/1495004822/n1495004822_30127121_6970625.jpg" /></center><br />These <i>Water Paints</i> reached their heyday in the mid twentieth century and are best remembered under such brand names as <i>Walpamur</i> and <i>Duresco</i>. Unfortunately, these early form of emulsions had a number of weaknesses.<br /><br />As the 'improved' distempers cannot readily be removed, further coatings tend to be applied on top, and then within two or three schemes of redecoration the problems can start to occur.<br /><br />The strength of the bond of water paint is less than that of oil paint and, although the coating has some resistance to water, it is absorbent nonetheless. The liquid in a new coat of paint applied on top will soften it to some extent and cause it to swell. Water paint, moreover, is applied in thicker and heavier coats than oil paint. In drying, the paint contracts strongly and, in doing so, exerts a considerable pull on the underlying film, weakening the grip of any parts which are not firmly attached to the surface.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3910/189/95/1495004822/n1495004822_30127123_864524.jpg" /></center><br />A substantial strain is placed on the bond of the old coating, and this cross section vividly shows the problem – the dark line towards the top is a layer of a “bound distemper”. Two, three, or even more coats can be safely applied on occasion, but there comes a time when the weight and stress are too great and cracking and flaking take place at the weakest points in the system. Local repair and making good is of no help and wholesale removal back to a sound base is the only way to tackle the problem.<br /><br />Unfortunately it is not possible to lay down any rule or even give any indication of when failure is likely to take place and the appearance of the old finish is not necessarily a reliable guide to its stability. Much will depend on the quality of the old coating and the number of coats on the surface. The atmospheric conditions to which the finish has been exposed may influence its behaviour; in a room subject to a certain amount of condensation, for instance, the repeated wetting and drying of the surface will progressively weaken the binder of the water paint.<br /><br />Is it worth taking the risk merely for the appeal of using a product with an esoteric or rose-tinted name on the label? Surely the decoration and protection of the building is worth more than allowing oneself to be manipulated by the marketing man?<br /><br />This is the sort of information that customers of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a> can expect to be given if they seek our advice. During our fifty years of trading we have built up a considerable knowledge on this and other decorating issues. We may not be able to offer you a "lifestyle" but we can certainly help you decorate your house.<br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Tel. +44 (0)20-7352-8626<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-38239181766238574502009-04-21T22:49:00.000+01:002009-05-15T12:51:41.795+01:00Basildon Park – Paint Analysis<center><img src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117391914_1495004822_30112207_4262670_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br />Background<br />Basildon Park was built by John Carr of York for Sir Francis Sykes between 1776 and 1783. It is constructed of Bath stone and consists of a main central block, with portico<span style="font-style: italic;"> in antis</span>, and is joined to two pavilions by single-storey links.<br /><br />The house is situated near Reading, in Berkshire, between the villages of Upper Basildon and Lower Basildon. It is a Grade I listed building.<br /><br />Basildon Park was still incomplete when Sir Francis' grandson and namesake inherited in 1804. However, due to enormous debts, the estate was sold in 1838 to James Morrison a Radical MP for Ipswich. Morrison was also one of the richest of the early Victorian merchants, having cornered the market in black crepe just before the death of Queen Charlotte in 1818 knowing the fashion then for wearing mourning black after the death of a monarch.<br /><br />The last of the Morrisons died in 1910, and Basildon entered a period of neglect. The house was requisitioned during the Second World War and fell into disrepair. It was eventually rescued by Lord and Lady Iliffe, who restored it and filled it with fine pictures and furniture. Basildon Park is now owned by the National Trust.<br /><br />It is perhaps best known from the much acclaimed 2005 film <span style="font-style: italic;">Pride and Prejudice</span>, in which it was used as the location for Netherfield Park, the home of the Bingleys.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117591919_1495004822_30112212_4850328_n.jpg" /></center><br /><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty">Patrick Baty</a> of <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a> was initially asked to carry out paint analysis on the exterior of the building. One of the questions asked of us concerned the orangey colour of the stone – was it natural or had it been applied as a wash?<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117431915_1495004822_30112208_3819474_n.jpg" /></center><br />Analysis showed that it had been given a copperas wash, but many years ago. Traces can be seen on the upper surface of the stone in this photomicrograph. Copperas, or ferrous sulphate, is a green colour when first applied, but on exposure to the atmosphere it becomes an earthy orange. Another well-known building which has a surviving copperas wash is Apsley House, on Hyde Park Corner – a house that we have also been involved with for many years.<br /><br />The windows and ironwork had clearly been stripped by the Iliffes in the 1950s and no earlier paint could be found.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117511917_1495004822_30112210_1143291_n.jpg" /></center><br />However, while I was on site the curator asked if I would take some samples of the paint from painted surfaces in the Great Staircase.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117631920_1495004822_30112213_3921098_n.jpg" /></center><br />This is a top-lit space with an elaborate iron balustrade that has plaques of cherubs or maidens on alternating balusters. The ironwork is currently bronze-painted and the background of the plaques is green.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117351913_1495004822_30112206_1313438_n.jpg" /></center><br />Analysis of the paint on the balustrade showed that it had been stripped – probably in the 1950s – however enough survived in the nooks and crannies to show that the ironwork had originally been painted with a lead paint tinted with Prussian blue. The colour would have been known as <span style="font-style: italic;">Sky Blue</span> in the 18th century.<br /><br />This is one of the colours that I have reproduced for English Heritage in the two paint ranges that I have researched for them in the last fifteen years. The first of these ranges was produced by Dulux and the second by The Little Greene Company. Unfortunately neither of these companies still supply the original colour card and it’s often difficult to find out which of their colours is a researched one and which a later-introduced one. (Perhaps this is a topic that I will write about at greater length in a future blog).<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117471916_1495004822_30112209_7153874_n.jpg" /></center><br />The blue of the first scheme can be seen very clearly in this photomicrograph. It can also be seen that this gave way to white and later a dull pink. Incidentally the metallic mass at the top of the image is bronze paint, which had been applied on two occasions. So, as can be seen, the present bronze paint on the balustrade is very different to the original concept.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs010.snc1/2892_1044117671921_1495004822_30112214_5814495_n.jpg" /></center><br />The walls appear to have only been painted on six occasions. In the late 18th century a pale stone colour was applied. The overall effect would have been very similar to a slightly earlier specification that I came across whilst working on the Tryon Palace in North Carolina, USA. This was prepared by the architect Stiff Leadbetter whilst working at Shardeloes in Buckinghamshire.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span>Works to best Staircase:</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The deal work & stucco to walls &c. to be painted three times in oyl of a light stone colour. The iron work</span><span> [stair balusters] </span><span style="font-style: italic;">to be painted of a sky blue & the doors of a chocolate colour.</span><br /></div><br />The pale stone colour was replaced some years later by a darker version. Versions of these colours can be seen in the <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/colour_traditional_colours.asp"> Traditional Colour </a> range produced by <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a>.<br /><br />It is thought that the Morrisons would have been responsible for the red colour applied next and it probably dates from the 1840s. This sort of colour in the entrance hall or stairs was not unusual at the time. Whilst carrying out paint analysis I have found it on a number of projects – for example Holmwood House and Greenbank (both near Glasgow); Broughton House, Kircudbright and both Nos 56 & 58 Artillery Lane, Spitalfields.<br /><br />Two later schemes of water-paint, or bound distemper, can also be seen at the top of the sequence. This sort of paint was a very primitive emulsion that has thankfully all but died out. I say “thankfully”, because one of its major disadvantages is that it can often only support a few schemes of later paint on top of it before it starts to fail - bringing every later coating with it. I have warned against its use in many of my lectures and intend to publish a more detailed explanation in a later blog – watch this space! On this occasion I have warned the National Trust that they ought to remove as much as they can of the bound distemper before repainting. Without an analysis of the paint this sort of detail would never be picked up.<br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Tel. +44 (0)20-7352-8626<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-44382739261012334462009-04-18T18:28:00.000+01:002013-01-22T13:43:37.190+00:00Paint Sampling at the Geffrye Museum<center>
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Background<br />
The Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch, East London, is the only museum in the United Kingdom to specialise in the history of the domestic interiors of the urban middle classes. It is situated in the centre of the old furniture and cabinet-making area of London and it displays a collection of English furniture and decorative arts from 1600 to the present day in a series of period room settings. The Museum is housed within fourteen former almshouses, which were built in 1715 and are Grade 1 listed. A chapel forms the central element of the Museum.<br />
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The Museum takes its name from Sir Robert Geffrye (1613-1704), who was Lord Mayor of London in 1685. On his death he bequeathed the residue of his estate to the Ironmongers’ Company for the purchase of land and the construction of almshouses mainly for ironmongers’ widows. The converted almshouses first opened to the public as a museum in 1914 under the direction of the London County Council.<br />
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Ten years ago the Museum doubled in size with the opening of a new extension, which provided a new gallery for 20th century period rooms, a temporary exhibition gallery and new education facilities, as well as a restaurant and expanded bookshop. A special gallery shows contemporary design and craft by East London designer-makers. The rear gardens were laid out as a series of garden rooms showing the development of town gardens since the 17th century.<br />
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<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty </a> and <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a> have had a long history of working with the Geffrye Museum, either supplying paint or providing advice on paint colour for the period room display. In 2002 we assisted with the restoration of one of the historic almshouses to show the conditions in which the alms people lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 2004 Patrick helped with the interpretation of the paintings that were displayed in their very successful series of exhibitions devoted to “Home and Garden”. A very informative catalogue was published to accompany this exercise.<br />
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Our latest project at the Geffrye Museum is an analytical one. We have been asked to examine and report on the paint colours that have been applied to the external surfaces of the fourteen almshouses and central chapel. The surfaces include the cornice, windows, rainwater goods, doors and railings, both front and back.<br />
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Fortunately I had the use of a cherry-picker in order to reach the higher levels. Clearly the Museum must have heard of my cherry-picker driving skills from a previous client (Fulham Palace) and had persuaded one of their gardeners to help me. Jamie turned out to be a real asset, being able to manoeuvre the vehicle through the tightest gaps and get us within reach of every surface that I wanted to sample.<br />
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With only a brief stop for coffee and a sandwich we worked our way around the front of the Museum chipping, drilling and cutting samples from elements of each of the buildings.<br />
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As mentioned in my short account of sampling on Tower Bridge (see blog 20th March), ironwork when hit at the right angle usually yields its secrets. This can be seen in these images of the overthrow above the main gate. It is too early to be able to report on what I found on the ironwork at the Geffrye Museum as the samples are still being processed, but the following image from a project at the Welsh Office (Gwydyr House), in Whitehall, shows what one might expect from the railings.<br />
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External woodwork, on the other hand, especially of this antiquity is more difficult. Using a dental drill to mark out a small square, which is then undercut with a sharp craft knife, a tiny plug can removed. The aim is to take a piece of the substrate (wood) with all the overlying layers of paint in one piece. This is seldom possible when dealing with thirty odd layers of brittle paint.<br />
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Once again, I am still working on the samples, but the following sample taken from a door belonging to Benjamin Franklin’s house, in Craven Street, shows what to expect on 18th century woodwork.<br />
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Simplistically, in order to get an idea of how frequently an external surface has been painted, one can divide the age of the building by the number of painted schemes. This will only work if all layers have survived. Samples taken from later elements can also help provide a datum, which is why this Victorian letterplate was sampled.<br />
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Clearly, bearing in mind the aim of the Museum, there is a wish to paint the exterior in a scheme that relates to one of its earlier ones. Once I have finished the paint analysis the report that I will produce will show them how the almshouses appeared throughout their long history.<br />
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One thing is certain; the railings were not black originally.<br />
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With thanks to everyone at the Museum for their cooperation and to Jamie, in particular.<br />
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<a href="http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/"> The Geffrye Museum</a>, 136 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London E2 8EA. Tel. 020 7739 9893.<br />
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Admission: Free<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Tel. +44 (0)20-7352-8626</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /><br /></span>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5234905715114021250.post-43373140767555458402009-04-11T22:53:00.002+01:002010-01-25T17:30:56.452+00:00Colour SurveysCOLOUR SURVEYS<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs123.snc3/17053_1192642224942_1495004822_30440696_7643731_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/people/documents/5215641?from_badge_documents_inline=1"><img alt="Documents" src="http://www.scribd.com/images/badges/inline/documents.gif" /></a></center><br /><br />As many will know, <a href="http://www.papers-paints.co.uk/"> Papers and Paints </a> have been colour-matching objects brought to the shop for most of our fifty years. Typically these take the form of flakes of paint and pieces of wallpaper or fabric. However, what happens if you cannot bring the colour to be matched to us?<br /><br />Since the early 1990s we have offered a unique colour service – we can come to your own premises and measure the wall, curtains or whatever it is that you want matched with a portable spectrophotometer.<br /><br />It may be that an area of localised damage needs to be painted to match the colour on the surrounding wall. Perhaps the room is too large, and time and money insufficient to permit a complete repaint. The paint could be from a discontinued or unknown source. Cost-effective in-painting is made possible by measuring the paint, and producing a new tin that matches the original under all lighting conditions.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1039731242263_1495004822_30102225_5203863_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br />It may be more than one colour that you want matched. You might be responsible for the maintenance of a building where the records are out of date and have no idea which of the old tins that you have been left relate to the colours on the walls. We can deal with the problem by carrying out a colour survey.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1040394138835_1495004822_30103825_6946617_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Even the best run establishments lose track of what colours have been used, but either see no reason to change the existing scheme of decoration, or want to rationalise it. Umpteen variations of off-white were identified at Lancaster House, for example, and it was decided that this was causing too much confusion for the maintenance programme. After an hour-long survey, each colour was identified, and a proposal made for the gradual reintroduction of a single colour.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1039731162261_1495004822_30102223_1563304_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />On-site colour surveys have been carried out for various reasons elsewhere. At Spencer House, and No 1 Greek Street, the colours produced as part of recent restoration projects were measured in order to facilitate redecoration. In both instances, the paint had originally been mixed up in buckets under the supervision of consultants. Needless to say, as a result, touching-in had proved difficult as nothing seemed to match. Colour measurement allows for the identification and formulation of a paint colour, minimising delays and costs.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1039742362541_1495004822_30102282_1495039_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />In an attempt to give greater articulation to the architecture, John Fowler had introduced a number of colours in the Entrance Hall at Syon House. Twenty five years later possible options for redecoration were being considered. One school of thought felt that there was no reason to change the Fowler scheme. Once again, a survey identified these colours and a seamless redecoration, using the same colours, could have been carried out if required.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1039744482594_1495004822_30102289_55134_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Occasionally, there is no wish to carry out redecoration, and a survey is requested as part of a condition report. This sort of work was undertaken at Newhailes, in East Lothian, for example. Although there was no intention to overpaint large areas of surviving eighteenth and nineteenth century paint, it was thought important to record how the rooms looked.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs123.snc3/17053_1192715386771_1495004822_30440854_6210121_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br />We do a lot of work in clubland, in institutions where the fine line between minimum change and good maintenance tends to be observed. In one club, members had grown used to the nicotine-stained ceiling of the Cocktail Bar. The Secretary, however, wanted to tidy up the room without upsetting any sensibilities. Colour measurements were taken, and paint produced to match the average colour reading of the stained ceiling.<br /><br />We have carried out colour surveys in a number of the best known clubs in St James’s. A schedule is produced and when paint is required for maintenance it can be ordered in the knowledge that it will match the existing colours. The following image shows a typical page from one of these schedules:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1039731082259_1495004822_30102221_8330663_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br />In the famous Painted Hall of the former Royal Naval College, at Greenwich we were asked to provide a better colour than the existing one for the dado / lower wall. Our approach was to take a series of measurements from the James Thornhill painted walls and to aggregate the colours into types i.e. dark, medium, light, brown, green. Paints were then produced to match each of the “types” and colour trials made. The result is a colour that best approximates the mass tone of the walls above. The photograph below shows the Painted Hall before the work and the completed work can be seen in <a href="http://bit.ly/6Q8KEV"> this 360° panorama</a>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1039731202262_1495004822_30102224_7925925_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br />Spectrophotometry can also be used for camouflage purposes, and colour matches made to many natural finishes. By taking several measurements of a Portland stone façade, for example, the average colour can be found and produced in the form of a masonry paint for the render of a new extension, or for the gate piers of Apsley House, as seen here for example.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs050.snc1/2892_1039731002257_1495004822_30102219_2181111_n.jpg" /></center><br /><br /><br />Some years ago <a href="http://bit.ly/F2CJc"> Patrick Baty</a> was commissioned to carry out a series of measurements of a representative selection of the stone facades in the city of Bath. These have been added to an already enormous collection of readings that we store for future use.<br /><br />In the field of architectural colour, once again, Papers and Paints have led the way.<br /><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickbaty"> Patrick Baty</a><br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.scribd.com/full/10929200?access_key=key-11w61qum0bnrpy4xb822"><img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5649/badgeforblog.jpg" /><br />Click for more information on what I do.</a></center><br /><br /><br /></span></p>Patrick Batyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06633027806487944655noreply@blogger.com2