Abstract

As the premier historic property of English Heritage Osborne House was the focus of a major refurbishment, conservation and re-presentation programme. This coincided with the vacating of the property by the King Edward VII Convalescent Home for Naval and Military Officers in 2000.The research was primarily focused on the exterior of the property and on selected buildings and structures sited within the surrounding parkland. Over successive redecorations the intended colour palette for the house and associated buildings and also for the estate had been lost and was based upon ubiquitous mid green and modern white. In addition the house itself was designed by Cubbitt being constructed of iron beams with rendered facades and cement based balustrades and embellishments to imitate finely jointed ashlar work and carved detailing. The effects of the weather and the proximity of the house to the coast had caused extensive discolouration, crazing and unsympathetic patch repairs. The research was focused at identifying the original decorative finishes and schemes based again on extensive research within the Royal Archives at Windsor supported by on-site investigations and a phased program of cross-sectional paint investigations. The research of the render was of particular interest as it was necessary to devise a methodology for distinguishing between lime based paint finishes surviving in protected areas from deposited lime based render material which had accumulated in similarly protected areas after being washed down through processes of surface erosion. As a result of the extensive investigations the whole exterior rendered surface of the property has been re-painted in a lime base material similar to the original finish and the external joinery has been returned to a distinctive purple/brown colour imitating mahogany. Cast iron work was re-painted in bronze/green, with copper canopies above the Queens Drawing Room in vertical red, white and blue candy stripes.