Watts Chapel celebrations

This month has been particularly busy with the Watts Chapel celebrations coming to a head with the Symposium and exhibition. It was wonderfully rewarding to hear all the papers offering new light into this most significant building. There is so much more to learn about it.

The Hope project is moving forward well and I had the pleasure of visiting the renowned conservator Allyson McDermott to see progress on the Tynecastle wallpaper which is presently being conserved by her studio. We saw the painstaking work of removing the rather inappropriate green paint which had gunged up the original raised design and luminescent colour of the original. This takes it back to reveal the undercoat and remnants of the original crimson. This now needs painting to its original colour to give the rich finish that G F Watts wanted for his paintings. Sadly whole sections did not survive, but new pieces are being woven carefully following the original design.

The gold paint for the ceiling of the gallery is also being currently worked upon and the ceiling is currently filled with samples being tested. We know that it was originally a silver base (over a ground) and that gold lacquer covered it which gave it its distinctive soft gold finish. Layers of paint are being tested to replicate this finish and effect. It is exciting to think that these important colours and finishes will be brought back for the collection that we hold.