The Tower House, Holland Park. Reviving a Revival.

Having survived the Blitz of the 1940s, the great smogs of the 50s, and the acid rain that fell for much of the 20th century, even the best preserved beauty might find herself in need of a little tlc.

So when the owners of William Burgess’s Gothic revival masterpiece, The Tower House, approached us to revive its brickwork we jumped at the chance. Who wouldn't want to put the colour back into the cheeks of one of Kensington’s grandest of dames. After all, compared to a great many brick beauties, at only 150 years young The Tower House is just a wee lass, barely come of age. Having had the chance to give her a check up, we can see no reason why she shouldn’t be good for another 300 years, as long as she feels appreciated.

The works, repairing damage and staining to the brick portico and south elevation, called for skills of a master bricklayer combined with the eye of a master painter. Enter Triskele’s own, Paul Slack. No stranger to these pages, Paul is that rare thing, an artiste cum craftsman who knows his burnt Sienna from his raw umber. Armed with his pigments, his trowels and a broad palette of aggregates, Paul set up his studio, en plein air, on the roof of The Tower House’s portico. The results of his labours can only be described as a rhapsody in red.