Pioneering paint and relationships at Leith Hall

Spring is the time for renewal and regeneration, and Leith Hall has been undergoing something of a regeneration over the course of the last eighteen months. Following my in-depth research using photographs, and archival sources, I have embraced a collaborative approach to inject life and colour into Leith Hall.

This has seen the transformation of the inner entrance hall from an uninspiring space, not quite fulfilling its function as ticket office and shop, into a warm and welcoming sitting room. Last year, it emerged from beneath fibreglass faux Georgian columns, nylon carpets and beige walls, to incorporate elements of the room as it was decorated and furnished around 1900, and has been greeted with approval from staff and visitors.

The outer entrance hall has seen several different arrangements of paintings, furniture, and objects over the years but, following the restoration of the double entrance doors, it was felt that they were deserving of a more fitting setting. Photographic evidence has shown that the entire outer entrance hall was once fitted with dark wood panelling which was removed in the early 1990s. I found a large quantity of the removed panelling stored in the stables as well as at Drum Castle; the team at Leith Hall would like to see it reinstated one day.

My research has revealed how the outer entrance hall once looked when the dark walls contrasted with the pale flagstone floor and featured some of the furniture that has remained. What has been a revelation is that the space was dark and welcoming, filled with jewel-like ceramics, exotic ferns and palm plants, and softer hangings.

My starting point was the colour on the walls. I wanted a rich dark brown for the walls that would convey the impressive entrance space that C E N Leith-Hay had envisioned when he added the outer entrance hall around 1902 to Leith Hall’s eastern side. This replaced an earlier Georgian-era porch on the west elevation, and was partly prompted by the arrival of a railway halt at Kennethmont that served Leith Hall by way of two bridges and a forest walk between them.

There is an old maxim that reads: ‘Never wear brown in town.’ In this case, it happily does not apply since Leith Hall sits in the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside and fits in well with brogues, tweed, shooting sticks and all that entails. All that is missing in the space is a couple of chocolate Labrador dogs.

Historically, the colour brown represents endurance, solidity, grounding, and strength. It is strongly associated with the element of earth, and was perceived as a masculine and ‘serious’ colour choice, often used in studies and libraries in the late Victorian period as well as in entrance halls and spaces that required an impression to be made.

To suggest the dark wood panelling that was once in situ in this space, I began to look at our historic paint suppliers. Annie Robertson, our regional surveyor, was keen that we begin to look at alternative paint suppliers due to the requirement to find paints compatible with traditionally constructed buildings, and asked me to look at Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. James Henderson, Operations Manager at Leith Hall, was also keen to use paint with cleaner credentials.