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Harker family visit great-grandfather's threatened scene-painting studio Harker family visit great-grandfather's threatened scene-painting studio
(35 minutes later)
The actor Susannah Harker and a chorus line of her theatrical relatives have made a sentimental pilgrimage to an industrial building in south London to bid farewell to a unique surviving part of their family history – the scenery painting studio built by their great-grandfather, Joseph Harker, in 1905. The actor Susannah Harker and a chorus line of her theatrical relatives have made a pilgrimage to an industrial building in south London to bid farewell to a surviving part of their family history – the scenery painting studio built by their great-grandfather Joseph Harker in 1905.
Harker was one of the most celebrated craftsmen of his day. His work filled some of the grandest stages of late Victorian and Edwardian London, and his studio is under threat after Southwark council recently granted planning permission to convert the building into flats. One of the most celebrated craftsmen of his day, Harker’s work filled some of the grandest stages of late Victorian and Edwardian London. His studio is under threat after Southwark council recently granted planning permission to convert the building into flats.
Susannah and family arrived to find to their astonishment that there was still a stage designer at work on the giant frames built by Harker, which allowed him to create 40ft canvas backdrops for theatres including Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and the Lyceum where he worked for years with the famous actor-manager Henry Irving. Susannah and family arrived to find to that there was still a stage designer at work on the giant frames built by Harker, which allowed him to create 40ft canvas backdrops for theatres including Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and the Lyceum where he worked for years with the famous actor-manager Henry Irving.
Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey was working on huge banners for One Love, a musical by Kwame Kwei-Armah about Bob Marley, which opens in March at the Birmingham Rep. “This is a wonderful place to work, fantastic space, fantastic light,” she said, waving a paintbrush at the north-light roof high above her head. “I don’t know of anything like it anywhere, certainly not in London, where studio space of any kind is just vanishing every day.”Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey was working on huge banners for One Love, a musical by Kwame Kwei-Armah about Bob Marley, which opens in March at the Birmingham Rep. “This is a wonderful place to work, fantastic space, fantastic light,” she said, waving a paintbrush at the north-light roof high above her head. “I don’t know of anything like it anywhere, certainly not in London, where studio space of any kind is just vanishing every day.”
Grit Eckert, who has been researching the history of scenery painting, thinks Harker’s frames, imposing in their day when a Pathé silent film was made showing him at work, and in continuous use for more than a century, are almost certainly now the largest surviving anywhere in the UK.Grit Eckert, who has been researching the history of scenery painting, thinks Harker’s frames, imposing in their day when a Pathé silent film was made showing him at work, and in continuous use for more than a century, are almost certainly now the largest surviving anywhere in the UK.
The Harker family’s connection with the stage stretches back at least into the 18th century, and in this generation Susannah, best known as Jane Bennet in the 1995 television adaptation Pride and Prejudice and Mattie in the original version of House of Cards, her mother Polly Adams, and sisters Caroline and Nelly are all well known actors, and there are actors, writers and stage designers learning their craft in the next generation.The Harker family’s connection with the stage stretches back at least into the 18th century, and in this generation Susannah, best known as Jane Bennet in the 1995 television adaptation Pride and Prejudice and Mattie in the original version of House of Cards, her mother Polly Adams, and sisters Caroline and Nelly are all well known actors, and there are actors, writers and stage designers learning their craft in the next generation.
However their link with the Grade II-listed redbrick building, in a narrow street off the traffic choked Walworth Road, is immortalised in a scruffy cupboard in a corner of the studio, whose door covered in scribbled names and numbers marks its former use as a phone box. Part of the brick wall has been carefully framed to preserve the date 27 May 1905 and the column of signatures including Harker’s own, and several of their uncles who followed him into the trade. But their link with the Grade II-listed redbrick building, in a narrow street off the traffic-choked Walworth Road, is immortalised in a scruffy cupboard in a corner of the studio, whose door covered in scribbled names and numbers marks its former use as a phone box. Part of the brick wall has been carefully framed to preserve the date 27 May 1905 and the column of signatures including Harker’s own, and several of his relatives who followed him into the trade.
“Whatever happens to the building, that has to be saved,” Susannah Harker said. “It should be in a museum, but if nobody else wants it the family will get it out somehow and we’ll keep it.”“Whatever happens to the building, that has to be saved,” Susannah Harker said. “It should be in a museum, but if nobody else wants it the family will get it out somehow and we’ll keep it.”
Joseph Harker was born in 1855, when his parents, William and Maria O’Connor – from an Irish theatre family – were working at the Theatre Royal in Manchester, and he played child parts including Fleance in Macbeth, before being apprenticed to his uncle’s trade of scenery painting. His work included the complete scenery for Wagner’s Parsifal at Covent Garden, and for the musical Chu Chin Chow which ran for a record-breaking five years in the West End from 1916. Joseph Harker was born in 1855, when his parents, William and Maria O’Connor – from an Irish theatre family – were working at the Theatre Royal in Manchester. He played child parts including Fleance in Macbeth, before being apprenticed to his uncle’s trade of scenery painting. His work included the complete scenery for Wagner’s Parsifal at Covent Garden, and for the musical Chu Chin Chow which ran for a record-breaking five years in the West End from 1916.
His work for Henry Irving at the Lyceum brought him a surprising place in literary history: he befriended Irving’s business manager, Bram Stoker, who borrowed his name for a key character in Dracula: young Jonathan Harker. His work for Irving at the Lyceum brought him a surprising place in literary history: he befriended Irving’s business manager, Bram Stoker, who borrowed his name for a key character in Dracula: young Jonathan Harker.
Harker’s studios were taken over in the 1980s by Flints, a famous theatrical chandlers, which still sells a paint colour called Harker Red. Their warehouse has already moved to Deptford, and the main business will also have to move if the conversion into apartments goes ahead, in an area where the skyline is spiked with developers’ cranes.Harker’s studios were taken over in the 1980s by Flints, a famous theatrical chandlers, which still sells a paint colour called Harker Red. Their warehouse has already moved to Deptford, and the main business will also have to move if the conversion into apartments goes ahead, in an area where the skyline is spiked with developers’ cranes.
“It’s so sad if this goes,” Susannah Harker said. “This has been a real working place, and part of our family history, for so long. It feels as if nothing real happens in London any longer, just more and more apartments for rich people.”“It’s so sad if this goes,” Susannah Harker said. “This has been a real working place, and part of our family history, for so long. It feels as if nothing real happens in London any longer, just more and more apartments for rich people.”