Walpole Champneys

Jenny Duff Walpole Champneys Dreamland Margate table mats placematsDreamland Margate

In 2013 I was honoured to be invited to co-curate an exhibition celebrating the work of designer and colourist Walpole Champneys (1879 - 1961), whose mural and decorative schemes adorn the interior of the 1934/5 Grade II* listed Dreamland Cinema and Sunshine Café.  Walpole Champneys was the commissioned Interior Consultant for the building and worked closely with the architects, Julian Leathart and FW Grainger, at a time when sumptuous interior decoration of cinema buildings was the norm and this is an important example of the contemporary mood.  In the Swedish Grace style, the work has both art deco and constructivist influences and reflects the immersive experience of cinema-going as an 'other world' event in the 1930s.

This introduction to the work of Walpole Champneys' and his grand-daughter who holds the archive has led to the development and creation of this delightful decorative range of tablemats


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