Royal Gallery: Restoration

Baroness Trumpington Excerpts

Thursday 24th July 2014 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Trumpington]

To ask the Chairman of Committees what progress has been made towards the restoration of the murals in the Royal Gallery; and when the work will be complete.

[The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel)]

My Lords, two research projects with Cologne University of Applied Science have been run by the Curator’s Office to examine the condition of the Waterloo and Trafalgar murals and to investigate ways to improve their presentation. The initial research is now complete and discussions will take place with the university staff over the summer about the next steps towards restoration. The Works of Art Committee will consider a range of possible options in the autumn.

[Baroness Trumpington (Con)]

My Lords, it is now several years since I asked my original Question on this subject. I shall be dead before the damn thing is done.

[Noble Lords]

No!

[Baroness Trumpington]

Would I be right in assuming that the Royal Gallery is much admired and loved by everybody, except possibly the French President? There is also the fact that it shows women on the battlefield and on fighting ships. I would be grateful if some speed could be shown in the reconstruction—if necessary overpainting—so that we are even more proud of the Royal Gallery when the work is finished.

[The Chairman of Committees]

My Lords, I certainly hope it will not be a matter of the noble Baroness looking down kindly on us when the time comes for them to be revealed in their original true glory, or as close to their original true glory as we can get it. Considering the national and international importance of these murals it is important to get it right rather than to get it soon. It is a very challenging task to restore the paintings to as near their original condition as possible. One of the very heartening results of the research is that the original pigment beneath the various layers has survived much more successfully in the Royal Gallery than was the case in the Robing Room. We have the opportunity of achieving a very high level of restoration and we should make sure that we get it right.