Abstract

The present church of St George the Martyr, Southwark, London originates from 1736 when it was built to replace the previous C14th building. Subsequently, there have been several alterations; the most major being those undertaken in 1855 and 1897. This research project aims were to identify the earliest surviving decorative scheme, to record the full decorative history for the selected interiors investigated and to provide the client with an historic colour scheme to facilitate redecoration. The methodologies suitable for this investigation required an equal balance of primary and secondary sources, namely published and unpublished literature, on-site investigations and cross-section paint analysis. Archival documents researched included the key study on the church undertaken in 2004 by Neil Burton for The Architectural History Practice Ltd and data offered by English Heritage. Moreover, a critical analysis of the key literature was crucial to the accurate cross referencing of paint analysis data. From the combined methodologies the findings revealed that the there were generally twelve identifiable paint schemes with some existing from 1736 and that the works of 1855 were far more extensive than originally thought. Through discussion with the project architect it has been agreed that the most suitable scheme for re-instatement is that coeval with the insertion of the new nave ceiling in 1897. Of particular significance in this project was the essential interchange between those disciplines associated with the care of the built environment, the custodians of the functioning ecclesiastical building and the communication that existed to inform best practice for conservation of architectural decorative surfaces. Secondly the findings were used to support the opinion that reinstatement should not merely be an automatic adoption of the earliest colour palette but one which is appropriate to the present state, use, aesthetics and significance of the individual elements and interior environment.