I began my internship in Architectural Paint Research (APR) with Hare & Humphreys in May 2015, working primarily with the company’s Architectural Paint Researcher, Rosie Shaw.
The internship was focused upon a fascinating APR project at Pitzhanger, Sir John Soane’s ‘country’ villa located in Ealing, researching the early 19th century interior decorative schemes installed by Sir John Soane after his extension and alteration of the original George Dance building. This particular project was extensive and therefore required dividing the process into phases of research. The phases began with visiting site in order to obtain the samples. These samples were then set in resin and polished in preparation for viewing under magnification.
Under magnification, the paint strata can be viewed. During this internship I became aware of chemical tests and other techniques such as viewing the samples beneath different wavelengths of light and how these techniques can aid in the identification of different pigments, binders and other materials. I am grateful for the opportunity to build upon the knowledge I had gained of APR from my BA studies at the University of Lincoln.
I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in other projects, researching some beautiful historic interiors across London, including Goldsmiths Hall, Ludgate House and a private residence in East London.
I have assisted in compiling this information into final reports, and condensing the data into a more visual format, through illustrations and tables.
Since the internship I have continued to be involved with APR projects whilst also being involved in some wonderful conservation site work allowing me to learn from Hare & Humphreys’ varied team of heritage specialists including conservators, artists and decorators. I thoroughly enjoyed my internship with Hare & Humphreys and look forward to continuing the study and practice of APR in the future.