Work to restore a stunning hall dubbed 'Britain's Sistine Chapel' will begin next month.
The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich, south east London, decorated by James Thornhill, has been described as the 'finest dining hall in Europe'.
Now, the stunning hall, adorned with beautiful baroque paintings, is set to shine again as the beautifully-decorated area will have its first major restoration in over half a century.
Work to restore 'Britain's Sistine Chapel' to its 17th century glory is due to get underway within weeks
The Painted Hall at Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich, south east London, has been described as the 'finest dining hall in Europe'
Now, the stunning hall is set to shine again as the area will have its first major restoration in over half a century
The 300-year-old masterpieces will be cleaned of layers of dirt to bring the dining hall back to its 17th century glory
By Thomas Burrows
3 August 2016
Daily Mail
Work to restore a stunning hall dubbed 'Britain's Sistine Chapel' will begin next month.
The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich, south east London, decorated by James Thornhill, has been described as the 'finest dining hall in Europe'.
Now, the stunning hall, adorned with beautiful baroque paintings, is set to shine again as the beautifully-decorated area will have its first major restoration in over half a century.
The painting pays tribute to King William III and Queen Mary II - the only two British monarchs to have reigned at the same time - seated in glory in the middle of the central oval, and the importance of naval power to the fortunes of the nation
Work is due to begin to give the highly-decorated ceiling its first major restoration in over half a century
The hall was decorated by Sir James Thornhill between 1708 and 1727 and has been described as 'Britain's Sistine Chapel'
Earlier this year, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the College a £3.1 million grant towards its £8 million conservation project.
Considered the greatest achievement of English Baroque art, the 300-year-old masterpieces will be cleaned of layers of dirt to bring the dining hall back to its 17th century glory.
During the three year project, the College's vaulted King William Undercroft, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor (and built between 1696 and 1712), will also be brought back to its original form.
Sir Christopher commissioned artist James Thornhill - who also produced the paintings on the inside of the dome of St Paul's Cathedral - to decorate the dining hall with a brief to show off Britain's superiority.
He spent the next 19 years painstakingly painting the hall and was instructed to include as many references as possible to the importance of Britain's Navy.
The Painted Hall was originally used by Navy veterans but, once completed, it was deemed too grand to act as a dining hall and instead well-to-do visitors were allowed in to look around with the pensioners acting as tour guides.
It was deemed special enough for Admiral Nelson's body to lay in state there in 1806 and a plaque still marks the spot where his coffin lay.
Thornhill was instructed to include as many references as possible to the importance of the navy in Britain's fortunes
Conservation director William Palin said the hall is one of 'Britain's greatest architectural and artistic treasures'
From 1824 until 1936, the Painted Hall housed the National Gallery of Naval Art with more than 300 works.
From 1939, the room's function finally met its original purpose and it acted as a dining room for the Old Royal Naval College and a venue for important dinners, including the 1946 celebration dinner marking the formation of the United Nations.
The last restoration work was carried out in the 1950s when 15 layers of varnish had to be meticulously removed.
Most recently it has been used as a location for films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Iron Lady.
The most recent renovation will see a team of conservators work on 3,400sq metres of painted surface, bringing new life to the paintings obscured by decades of deterioration.
William Palin, Conservation Director for the Old Royal Naval College, said: 'The Painted Hall is one of Britain's greatest architectural and artistic treasures but it is too little known.
'Central to this project is cutting-edge conservation and the highest curatorial standards. These will give the Painted Hall the national and international prominence it deserves.'
The last major restoration work was in the 1950s, when 15 coats of varnish were carefully removed
The hall, part of Greenwich’s Unesco World Heritage Site, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor and opened in 1694
Read more: Old Royal Navy College's 'Painted Hall' to go under restoration project | Daily Mail Online
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The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich, south east London, decorated by James Thornhill, has been described as the 'finest dining hall in Europe'.
Now, the stunning hall, adorned with beautiful baroque paintings, is set to shine again as the beautifully-decorated area will have its first major restoration in over half a century.
Work to restore 'Britain's Sistine Chapel' to its 17th century glory is due to get underway within weeks
The Painted Hall at Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich, south east London, has been described as the 'finest dining hall in Europe'
Now, the stunning hall is set to shine again as the area will have its first major restoration in over half a century
The 300-year-old masterpieces will be cleaned of layers of dirt to bring the dining hall back to its 17th century glory
By Thomas Burrows
3 August 2016
Daily Mail
Work to restore a stunning hall dubbed 'Britain's Sistine Chapel' will begin next month.
The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich, south east London, decorated by James Thornhill, has been described as the 'finest dining hall in Europe'.
Now, the stunning hall, adorned with beautiful baroque paintings, is set to shine again as the beautifully-decorated area will have its first major restoration in over half a century.
The painting pays tribute to King William III and Queen Mary II - the only two British monarchs to have reigned at the same time - seated in glory in the middle of the central oval, and the importance of naval power to the fortunes of the nation
Work is due to begin to give the highly-decorated ceiling its first major restoration in over half a century
The hall was decorated by Sir James Thornhill between 1708 and 1727 and has been described as 'Britain's Sistine Chapel'
Earlier this year, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the College a £3.1 million grant towards its £8 million conservation project.
Considered the greatest achievement of English Baroque art, the 300-year-old masterpieces will be cleaned of layers of dirt to bring the dining hall back to its 17th century glory.
During the three year project, the College's vaulted King William Undercroft, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor (and built between 1696 and 1712), will also be brought back to its original form.
Sir Christopher commissioned artist James Thornhill - who also produced the paintings on the inside of the dome of St Paul's Cathedral - to decorate the dining hall with a brief to show off Britain's superiority.
He spent the next 19 years painstakingly painting the hall and was instructed to include as many references as possible to the importance of Britain's Navy.
The Painted Hall was originally used by Navy veterans but, once completed, it was deemed too grand to act as a dining hall and instead well-to-do visitors were allowed in to look around with the pensioners acting as tour guides.
It was deemed special enough for Admiral Nelson's body to lay in state there in 1806 and a plaque still marks the spot where his coffin lay.
Thornhill was instructed to include as many references as possible to the importance of the navy in Britain's fortunes
Conservation director William Palin said the hall is one of 'Britain's greatest architectural and artistic treasures'
From 1824 until 1936, the Painted Hall housed the National Gallery of Naval Art with more than 300 works.
From 1939, the room's function finally met its original purpose and it acted as a dining room for the Old Royal Naval College and a venue for important dinners, including the 1946 celebration dinner marking the formation of the United Nations.
The last restoration work was carried out in the 1950s when 15 layers of varnish had to be meticulously removed.
Most recently it has been used as a location for films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Iron Lady.
The most recent renovation will see a team of conservators work on 3,400sq metres of painted surface, bringing new life to the paintings obscured by decades of deterioration.
William Palin, Conservation Director for the Old Royal Naval College, said: 'The Painted Hall is one of Britain's greatest architectural and artistic treasures but it is too little known.
'Central to this project is cutting-edge conservation and the highest curatorial standards. These will give the Painted Hall the national and international prominence it deserves.'
The last major restoration work was in the 1950s, when 15 coats of varnish were carefully removed
The hall, part of Greenwich’s Unesco World Heritage Site, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor and opened in 1694
Read more: Old Royal Navy College's 'Painted Hall' to go under restoration project | Daily Mail Online
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