The Painted Hall

Last November I posted news that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £335,000 towards the cost of renovating the Painted Hall in the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich (CLICK). The Hall will remain open during conservation. From 11 January to the end of April the public will be able to view the ceiling up close by means of a 30-foot scaffold. Above is a face on the West Wall, showing not only the high quality of Sir James Thornhill's painting, but also the smut that has accumulated since its last restoration in the 1950's. Below is a cropped scene from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) showing Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in the Painted Hall. You can just about discern the dome of the Painted Hall above Depp's head, Thornhill's painted tribute to Sir Christopher Wren, who designed the building. Nicholas Hawksmoor designed the interior (CLICK).