Colour cards for paintwork in the refurbished Theatre Royal - 1977
Title
Colour cards for paintwork in the refurbished Theatre Royal - 1977
Date
5 August 1977
Description
Colour cards prepared by theatre designer Clare Ferraby to specify paint colours for the refurbished Theatre Royal.
What's the story?
Born in Leeds in 1938 and trained at the Manchester School of Art, Clare Ferraby has decorated and restored the interiors of some of the UK’s greatest theatres, including the recent massive refurbishment of the Victoria Palace in London.
Ferraby started as a freelance designer in London in 1963 when she was 25, and married Nicholas Thompson, a young architect, who went on to become a leading light of the theatre architects’ practice RHWL three years later.
RHWL were commissioned to oversee the rebuilding of the Theatre Royal in the 1970s, following the success of projects at Sheffield Crucible and Warwick Arts Centre.
In a recent interview for The Stage Clare spoke of her craft:
“I’ve always looked at the history of the theatres I’ve worked on. It is important for me to have a feeling for the soul of the building before I develop new ideas. Every theatre has its own distinctive soul. With the older buildings, I look at the detail to understand the original designer’s intention.
The great Victorian theatre architects Matcham, Sprague and Phipps wanted to get everything right and I understand that. You want everything to fall into place and fit together, like a painting.”
As part of the Theatre Royal’s heritage work Nick Thompson & Clare Ferraby have kindly loaned us items from their private collection revealing their work on the Theatre Royal.
In these colour cards one can see the attention to detail typical of Clare's vision for the theatre.
Colour card 6 shows the intricate paintwork in the dome housing the iconic chandelier.
JW Bollom Ltd supplied the specialist fire retardant paints in a wide variety of green tones visible in the theatre today.
Ferraby started as a freelance designer in London in 1963 when she was 25, and married Nicholas Thompson, a young architect, who went on to become a leading light of the theatre architects’ practice RHWL three years later.
RHWL were commissioned to oversee the rebuilding of the Theatre Royal in the 1970s, following the success of projects at Sheffield Crucible and Warwick Arts Centre.
In a recent interview for The Stage Clare spoke of her craft:
“I’ve always looked at the history of the theatres I’ve worked on. It is important for me to have a feeling for the soul of the building before I develop new ideas. Every theatre has its own distinctive soul. With the older buildings, I look at the detail to understand the original designer’s intention.
The great Victorian theatre architects Matcham, Sprague and Phipps wanted to get everything right and I understand that. You want everything to fall into place and fit together, like a painting.”
As part of the Theatre Royal’s heritage work Nick Thompson & Clare Ferraby have kindly loaned us items from their private collection revealing their work on the Theatre Royal.
In these colour cards one can see the attention to detail typical of Clare's vision for the theatre.
Colour card 6 shows the intricate paintwork in the dome housing the iconic chandelier.
JW Bollom Ltd supplied the specialist fire retardant paints in a wide variety of green tones visible in the theatre today.
Type
Schedule
Location of item
Private Collection - Nick Thompson & Clare Ferraby
Rights
Private Collection - Nick Thompson & Clare Ferraby
Contributor
Researcher - June Ellerby
Format
29.8 cm x 21 cm
