As part of a small team of signwriters between 1999-2000, I spent months signwriting decorative ceilings in the British Museum (London) for Hare & Humphreys.
The Reading Room first opened on 2 May 1857. Between 8–16 May, the Library was opened up for a special one-off public viewing. More than 62,000 visitors came to marvel at the new building.
Those wanting to use it had to apply in writing and were issued a reader’s ticket by the Principal Librarian. Among those granted tickets were: Karl Marx, Lenin (who signed in under the name Jacob Richter), and novelists such as Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The work entailed Gold leaf in The Reading Room and intricate signwriting work on the coffered ceilings in The Weston Hall. (The main entrance to the museum). Originally designed by Sydney Smirke, in 1845, The patterns and colours on the ceiling of The Weston Hall were borrowed from classical Greek buildings.
