Palace of Westminster
Debate between Viscount Falkland and Lord Brabazon of Tara(13 years, 11 months ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
The Chairman of Committees
Certainly as far as the Chamber is concerned, the ceiling was replaced some years ago when one of the things fell down. I was in the Chamber when it happened and we had to move into the Royal Gallery for a shortish period. As for the roofs, I am not aware that the actual roof tiles were changed at that time.
Viscount Falkland
My Lords, can the Chairman of Committees give some comfort to our admirable curator’s department which, because of the many valuable pictures in the Palace, is on a constant state of alert for water coming into the building? The water usually comes in at this time of year, normally as a result of bad repairs to the original structure, which was obviously of a much higher standard than the repairs.
The Chairman of Committees
I am aware that there have been problems particularly above the Royal Gallery, where the gutters, which are extremely difficult to get at to keep clean, have sometimes caused water to come in and go down the walls of the Royal Gallery and possibly damage the paintings there. It is something that we keep constantly under attention. We also employ birds of prey to deal with the other birds which make a mess.
Houses of Parliament: Cycle Hire
Debate between Viscount Falkland and Lord Brabazon of Tara
The Chairman of Committees
I would not like to comment on the second part of the noble Lord’s question, but as I said in my original Answer we are actively looking, with Transport for London, at the possibility of finding a station. However, it will have to be outside the Parliamentary Estate since, for obvious reasons, it cannot be within the secure area. One hopes that we will succeed in finding one in the neighbourhood.
Viscount Falkland
My Lords, the noble Lord must have made some examination of the numbers of Members of your Lordships’ House who might like to use the pool. There is not much point in going much further if it is just the noble Lord, Lord Butler, and myself who will cycle. If there are a significant number, it would be sensible to bring one of the pool docking stations nearer. As someone who cycles every day on my own bicycle, I know that it is very health giving. In asking the noble Lord whether he also cycles, I can say that it is a very good way of controlling one’s weight and—with reference to the remark of the noble Lord, Lord Butler—possibly does add to one’s longevity. It is jolly good fun and makes you feel better.
House of Lords: Royal Gallery Frescos
Debate between Viscount Falkland and Lord Brabazon of Tara
The Chairman of Committees
I am grateful to the noble Baroness for the last part of her question. The water-glass technique was originally developed in Germany in the mid-19th century and adopted by Maclise for painting the Royal Gallery murals. They were begun in 1859 and finished by 1866. By 1869, only three years later, there were comments in the press that the paintings were already substantially faded. It is not known why this happened. The technique was successfully used elsewhere in the Palace. It is not a question of not having done anything about it, but a question about finding a way of doing something about it and so far no way has been found.
I am of course aware of the work done to the frescos in the Vatican. They are a different kind of fresco from our water-glass technique frescos. They were substantially and very successfully restored in the 1980s and the results are very striking, as the noble Baroness says. However, the same techniques could not be used on the Royal Gallery murals because of the water-glass technique that they were originally painted in. The Vatican work cost several million dollars, which is another factor.
Viscount Falkland
My Lords, have any other frescos in the British Isles needed similar restoration? Both the splendid pictures that adorn the Royal Gallery are rare in terms of their size and indeed because they are frescos, which do not thrive in our climate. The German technique, introduced by Prince Albert, was very experimental at the time. If we have knowledge of any other work done with a similar technique, would it not be helpful to see whether they can be restored at all and what the cost may be?
The Chairman of Committees
Of course, other frescos in the Palace have been restored, but they were not done using the water-glass technique—that appears to be the difficulty. Other frescos elsewhere have been cleaned, dirt and dust have been removed and they have been greatly improved. I point out to noble Lords that Maclise painted a quarter-sized version of the Trafalgar mural on canvas in rich colours. It is in the Walker gallery in Liverpool and is available to look at on the internet, which I did before I came to answer this Question. It gives some idea of how magnificent the colours must have looked when they first went up, but unfortunately they have not survived 150 years.