Greenwich Painted Hall artworks restored to former glory

The Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College, dubbed the "finest dining hall in Europe", has had some of its wall and ceiling artworks restored for the first time in more than 50 years.

Conservationists spent several months removing dirt to bring out the fine detail in the 300-year old paintings.

A specialist described the works by Sir James Thornhill as "the most important" Baroque wall paintings in the country.

The hall was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and Sir Christopher Wren.

Wesley Kerr, chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for London, which has donated £335,000 to the conservation project, called the Painted Hall "London's Sistine Chapel".

He said he was "delighted" with the work done so far, which reveals a "masterly exposition of historic, royal, naval and London motifs".

Conservation of the entire Painted Hall is expected to cost in excess of £2.5m and take several years.

The hall has been used as a location for films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and The Iron Lady.

Stephen Paine, a conservation specialist in charge of the work at the Painted Hall, said it had been a long held ambition to work on "the most important, and largest, scheme of Baroque wall paintings in the country".

He said the surfaces of the paintings had become "dull and muted" since a restoration project was last undertaken by the Ministry of Works in the 1950s, and his team had to gently remove "heavy deposits" of accumulated dirt and dust.

An exhibition inspired by the west wall conservation and created by community groups in Greenwich will go on display in the Old Royal Naval College on 31 May.