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RAF Bentley Priory, London

View of the outside of Bentley Priory, London. Showing the building on a sunny day with grass out front.
Photograph showing the inside of Bentley Priory, with a domed ceiling and many paintings hung on the walls.

Originally built in 1766, Bentley Priory was significantly extended in 1788 by Sir John Soane. The Priory was the final home of the Dowager Queen Adelaide, Queen Consort of William IV. It was acquired by the Royal Air Force in 1926 and was the headquarters of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. Extensive conservation and re-decoration work was undertaken as a member of the Hare & Humphreys team during the conversion of the building into luxury apartments, a museum and a memorial, dedicated to those who served in the RAF.

 

Primary tasks included the conservation treatment of the historic ceilings in the Adelaide Room and Entrance Hall, which encompassed the assessment, recording, stabilisation, consolidation and retouching of painted surfaces, plasterwork and interior decorative features. Additional works included re-modelling of the composition leaf detail and gilding of the Dome Room Rotunda and application of faux-stone specialist decoration to the Entrance Hall.

 

 

THE ENTRANCE HALL 

View on inside entrance of Bentley Priory showing a historic decorative painted ceiling and stone block effect walls.

The entrance hall ceiling during conservation to treat discolouration, retouch losses and consolidate extensive blowing/detachment of the plaster and painted surface

Conservator Jade Maloney is standing on a scaffold tower with a palette and paintbrush restoring a historic decorative painted ceiling.
Image showing historic wall surface during decoration works, a stone effect paint is being applied.
Section of interior wall in a historic building showing a specialist stone block paint effect which has been applied.

Faux stone effect applied to entrance hall

Area of flaking paintwork
An area of flaking paintwork to a historic ceiling has been conserved and stuck back down to the plaster substrate.
Falking paint being conserved, it has japanese tissue on during the consolidation process.

Before, during and after consolidation of flaking and friable paint

Area of staining and discolouration to a historic painted ceiling before conservation treatment.

Area of staining and discolouration to the painted surface before and after treatment

Area of a painted decorative ceiling after conservation treatment.

THE ADELAIDE ROOM CEILING

Finial on a decorative plaster ceiling which has been gilded in gold leaf.

Newly gilded detail before toning to match surrounding original gold

Showing acanthus leaf dentil moudings on a historic ceiling. Some conservation repairs can be seen in new white plaster.

Remodelling losses to plaster detail prior to gilding

Photo of a historic ceiling showing highly ornate decorative plasterwork with gilded mouldings and red painted marouflage inserts.
Detail of decorative plasterwork showing damage to the historic gilding.
Detail of decorative plasterwork on a historic ceiling showing gilded detail.

Wear and loss todecorative gilded detail before and after treatment

THE ROTUNDA

Decorative plasterwork in a historic rotunda ceiling during conservation work
Decorative plasterwork in a historic rotunda ceiling showing newly gilded leaf detail and freshly painted panels.

View of rotunda during and after treatment

Replacement of lost composition detail and gilding

Close up of gilded historic decorative plaster detail of a leaf.

Close up of replacement detail after treatment

© 2025 by Jade Maloney. All rights reserved.

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