In a remarkable development, Sandown Town Hall’s once-celebrated Victorian ceiling – a multi-coloured masterpiece feared lost beneath layers of paint – has begun to reveal its intricate artistic designs.
The ceiling was created in 1873 by decorator Henry Tooth, whose work was influenced by the groundbreaking designer Christopher Dresser.
There’s no known photograph or illustration to show how the Town Hall’s ceiling originally looked, so this is the first time in living memory that visible evidence of Tooth’s designs has emerged.
Conservation architect, Deniz Beck, explained,
“I knew the stories about Henry Tooth’s forgotten masterpiece and spent hours searching for clues that it might survive hidden up there.
“Almost ready to give up, I found myself staring at the ceiling absent-mindedly when I was on a phone call and first thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
Faint patterns started emerging
Beck was working on a condition survey of the Town Hall in early 2023 when she spotted faint patterns emerging in the damp and mouldy atmosphere.
It was a bit like finding the image on the Turin Shroud.
The closer she looked, more rectangular and triangular shapes could be picked out across different parts of the mould-stained ceiling.
Documented discovery
Deniz arranged for scaffolding to be erected to give her a closer view, and her discoveries are now part of a Written Scheme of Investigation published by the Isle of Wight council and included in the listed building’s planning documents (document three).
The discovery comes exactly 150 years after Tooth was decorating the ceiling. Deniz Beck’s conservation investigation has involved carefully peeling away layers of paint for clues to the Victorian colours used, adding to evidence from forensic work done in 2022 by historical paint analyst Catherine Hassall.
News shared by Paul, in his own words, on behalf of Sandown Hub. Eda
