UK-based manufacturer of electrical accessories, Focus SB, played a part in preserving the baroque interior of the Queen’s State Apartments at Hampton Court Palace – emphasising the company’s ability to complete discreet installations in heritage properties.
When the Wild, The Beautiful and The Dammed exhibition came to an end in September of last year, The Historic Royal Places – the charity that looks after Hampton Court Palace – saw a rare window of opportunity to undertake some much-needed re-wiring in the Queen’s State Apartments.
The historical significance of Hampton Court Palace meant the refurbishment had to be completed with minimal-to-no impact on the interior. “You simply cannot drill through walls here,” explains project manager, Harry Brimmel. “If there were any changes to the external face, they had to match the rest of the interior and go unnoticed.”
When preserving a historical property, time is not of the essence, but rather patience. As such, time was taken to thread cable from one room to the next by going up three storeys and down again to ensure that no fresh insertions were made in the walls. Pre-existing pathways were followed from lamp to socket to switch.
The electrical plates, the face of the re-wiring, were all made bespoke – in order to match the old – by Focus SB, and had to be approved by English Heritage. The planning process took around six weeks, and Focus SB had to be prepared to make any alterations – which it did. Focus floor plates with flip lip in a Bronze Antique finish were primed, before being painted the same colour of the walls to ensure that they blended in with the interior.
“The amount of work that went into this simple job is incredible,” Harry comments. “Focus SB were good to us – they were patient and empathetic to our requirements. This was a very particular job, and they never promised more than they could deliver.”
Roger Kemp, MD at Focus SB, adds: “As a UK manufacturer, it is really satisfying to be working on historic UK properties in conjunction with English Heritage in order to maintain the integrity of the building for future generations.”
Focus SB has worked on interiors from the grand to the humble, from the ultra modern to the classical. The company has worked closely with interior designers to create elegant electrical accessories that adorn a room and feel luxurious at an affordable price.
