Comments on: At Joseph Harker’s Paint Studios

By: TINA BICAT

TINA BICAT — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 07:50:29 +0000

I WAS INTERESTED BY VERA SCHONBERG’s comment about her father who might have been a scene painter at the same time as my father André (Reginald] Bicât in the 1920’s or early 30’s. We know very little about him at that time. I wonder if they knew eachother and whether she has any memories about Harker’s of his she would like to share. I will look Mr. Schonberg up in the DruryLane archive

By: vera schonberg

vera schonberg — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 12:29:40 +0000

My Father Thomas Lake Schonberg worked for Mr Harker. He had me when he was 58 and I am now 80. No one ever mentions him as he painted scenery all his life a lot for Drury Lane.

By: Gene Meier

Gene Meier — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 01:20:33 +0000

I am writing the first spreadsheet from the American point of view about 19th century rotunda panoramas. These were the biggest paintings in the world, 50 x 400=20,000 square feet, housed in their own rotundas which were 16-sided polygons. Chicago in 1893 had 6 panorama companies and 6 panorama rotundas. Harker’s obituary in THE TIMES April 18,1927 reads:”For several years he was in America painting the huge panoramas then in vogue.” I learned about Harker only this afternoon, and want very much to learn about his work in America. Info to share

By: Grit Eckert

Grit Eckert — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 16:36:05 +0000

Hi,

We are the group, trying to save this building or at the very least, raising awareness of these types of workspaces. They have been disappearing very quietly in the recent past.

If you are reading these comments and would like to do something please do get in touch under saveharkersstudio@gmail.com or look on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/saveharkersstudio/?ref=bookmarks.

I would also love to hear from those you have worked in the space or have stories that relate to the space.

Many thanks,
Grit

By: vera schonberg

vera schonberg — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 16:19:48 +0000

MY FATHER WAS CHOSEN TO WORK WITH HARKER. SEE HIS NAME AND OTHER FAMILY ON THE WALL THE NIGHT THEY FIRST OPENED. MY FATHER HAD ME AT 60 YEARS OLD AND i AM NOW 75 hISTORY IN THE MAKING THERE. SCHONBERG WAS THE NAME

By: Jonathan Laverock

Jonathan Laverock — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 13:40:34 +0000

I made my first visit to Flints yesterday lunchtime and was surprised to find such a wonderful example London’s less well known historical buildings still intact and being used as a theatrical workspace after so many years. Having survived the Blitz, it would be a great pity if this unique part of the capital’s hertiage is lost for future generations as it will never be replicated elsewhere.

By: Peter Crombie

Peter Crombie — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:28:01 +0000

I worked at Harkers for more than 16 years, from 1968 to 1984, for the last 10 as a director, and painted there twice after Alistair Flint had taken over the building. As I remember it, Alistair stepped in at the last moment in the 1980s, with the building under immediate threat even then, and saved it; all praise to him in using the building structurally unaltered all these years. From what a lot of people have written, appalled at an important building likely to be turned into flats, I can see that the exciting quality of the building has got through to them from these excellent pictures alone.

I have to say there is one essential of the original missing, sadly. Before Alistair Flint got possession of the building, the original weighty paint frames, hand-winches and counterweights that I knew had been ripped out. It might never have been possible to electrify them, but it was sheer vandalism. The two you can see were installed by Alistair, electrified but of much lighter construction than the originals. It was not practical for several reasons to replace the huge 30’ deep, back-to-back middle frames; the wooden truss and wheels from which they were hung can be seen in several pictures.

I have worked in seven studios with movable paint frames in London (and two others elsewhere) in the course of 50 years: almost all are gone or unavailable, except I believe Drury Lane. Of them all, the Harkers studio was easily the best lit and, designed by a famous scenic artist, had the most practical design. If Southwark Council cares at all about this really remarkable building, they should think in terms of making it available as workshops, studios, or even one studio that would appeal to a big-thinking artist.

I would say there’s no way that the Harkers building alone can be turned into flats. I am guessing the real plan is for a developer to get hold of it – and the adjoining theatrical buildings, demolish all three and build from scratch. That would be tragic, one more step towards making London a characterless wasteland.

By: Sarah McDermott (nee Harker)

Sarah McDermott (nee Harker) — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 18:50:34 +0000

How extraordinary and sadly ironic that I discover this wonderful record of the Harker Studios as I sit with my father in his dying days. My father is Martin, son of Roland and Deborah Harker and grandson of Joseph and Sarah. Martin is very frail now but I remember him talking of the Harker clan meeting at the Walworth Rd studios and often repairing to the nearby pub.

The most important family history is the autograph list of many Harker family members and loyal employees. Does anyone know whether this is being saved – perhaps as a heritage condition of Planning? If not, the Harker descendants are certainly interested in saving it.

Does anyone know the planning reference for the Southwark planning permission?

By: Robert Lewis

Robert Lewis — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 17:59:24 +0000

Luxury Flats, huh? Well, at least it isn’t flattened as I am now. When one thinks of Harker’s labor, this story is too much to bear.

By: Peter Whiteman

Peter Whiteman — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 14:35:15 +0000

Design for theatre – first and probably foremost. Hard to believe _ like a lot at the
moment. Stick your’luxury’ flats (somewhere else?)