The Pope’s Banners

Louise writes – Although our work was primarily for Film and Television we were occasionally asked to supply items for real events. In May 1982 Pope John Paul ll, visited Canterbury Cathedral. The BBC contacted us, at the last moment, to ask if we could make ten banners to hang in the roof of the aisle. The two designs featured the Pope’s Coat of Arms and Canterbury’s Coat of Arms. As there was no time or the budget to make anything elaborate, Dupion (an artificial slub silk) fabric was used for the background of the banners with details in felt and satin. These were glued in position; after all, they were only going to hang in the Cathedral for one or two days at most. Imagine our consternation when we discovered that, in fact, they were left in position for more than one year!

Canterbury Cathedral showing nine of the ten banners we made.

Keir and I went to Canterbury later in October 1982 and were relieved to see that the banners remained intact. Good old Evo-stik glue!

Page from 24th May 1982 showing the Papal Banners.

Two of the banners and several panels ready to be taken to Canterbury Cathedral

The second occasion we made a Pope’s banner was for the film ‘Evita’ for the scene where Eva Peron went on her ‘Rainbow Tour’ and had an audience with Pope Pius Xll. The banner was made of a dark red velvet with his Papal Coat of Arms emblazoned on the surface.

The Pope’s banner for Eva Peron’s ‘Rainbow Tour’ in the film ‘Evita’.

We made the various parts in satin or silk, which was then applied onto the velvet background. Details were painted in emulsion paint and gold powder mixed with PVA glue, thinned with water and for added depth we iced the Coat of Arms with a thicker mixture of PVA (wood glue) and gold powder. This was available in different shades of gold, copper and bronze colours. The gold was piped using a metal icing set with the smallest size circular nozzle. As long as the medium was mixed thoroughly with no lumps it was fine, but occasionally a blockage occurred and that led to almost ‘explosive’ results. When the line of icing dried it dipped in the centre and looked like gold Russia Braid. We also used ornate gold metallic decorations, and the finished result looked impressive but only took a relatively short time to create. It was never going to be seen in close up and it was a technique we used on many occasions over the years. The third Pope’s banner was for the 2005 film ‘Casanova’. It measured six metres high and four and a half metres wide, and was to hang from a balcony on the side of the Doges Palace in Venice – what a location. An A4 sized coloured drawing arrived from Anna Pinnock, the Set Decorator, at our Shepperton Studio workshop and I started to work out how we would make the banner, a daunting prospect, but one that I relished. The budget was £6000 and I had to purchase all the materials. Where to begin?

Detail of ‘Casanova’ banner.

I decided to buy the fabrics, braids and fringing in London and went, driven by David our buyer. He could ‘hover’ if parking was impossible and help me with all the rolls of fabric and carrier bags and pay the bills. Our first call was to Joel and Son in Church Street NW8, one of my favourite fabric suppliers. There, one could purchase every type of fabric and I knew I would be successful in my search.

Detail of ‘Casanova’ banner.

For the ornate scrolled border design I found an Indian gold and copper Lurex fabric. The design of the front was totally wrong – a woven paisley design – but I used the back of the material and the threads looked like long satin-stitched embroidery, a perfect illusion. Anna wanted velvet in a particular turquoise blue and amongst the swatches at Joel’s I found the perfect colour, but it had to be ordered, the supplier was an Italian company so it seemed rather strange to be ordering a velvet that had to come from Italy, only to make it up in England and return it to Venice once the banner was completed.

Detail of ‘Casanova’ banner.

The next port of call was to Henry Newbery for braids and fringing. The fringe at the bottom of the banner was very long, about 15” (375mm) in-depth and there were other fringes and tassels in gold metallic thread, along with braid and cords. Silk, I obtained from a company called Pongees and finally the background of Venetian red I bought from John Lewis in Oxford Street. ‘Never knowingly undersold’ was their saying and true to the words the cotton velvet was by far the best price.

The ‘Casanova’ banner being worked on in the workshop with Emma and Carole.

I decided to add two metres to the top of the banner just in case extra length was required and when it arrived on location – it was needed since they were not allowed to attach anything to the balcony itself.  The extra fabric went over the edge of the balcony and down the back where it was secured by the weight of a plastic tube – see below. Everyone at the workshop who worked with fabrics and glue was involved with the banners manufacture – Carole, Christabel, Emma, George, June, Sally and me.  Keir extended the largest table at the drapes end of the workshop but still the banner had to be manoeuvred from side to side and up and down. I was very concerned that after all our efforts the finished banner would arrive in Venice looking a creased mess, having travelled though Europe by road and been manhandled in the process.

‘Casanova’ banner hanging on the Doge’s Palace.

We solved the problem by attaching heavy-duty eyelets on canvas webbing at the top and lashed it onto a plastic 10” (250mm) soil pipe. We then covered the decorative Coat of Arms with tissue paper, wadding and sheets of 1” (25mm) foam. The banner was loosely rolled up and wrapped in bubble film and polythene, what a performance, but well worthwhile, since I had a phone call from David Gropman, the Production Designer and Anna to say it had arrived safely and looked fabulous on the balcony. Thank goodness and what a relief! They even sent us a photograph to prove it.

A photo from Chi magazine showing the ‘Casanova’ banner hung on the Doge’s Palace. Unfortunately the red has turned to black.

   

Shopping spree

Louise writes –  One of the most enjoyable processes for me when making props was sourcing the materials. In the beginning I would go to London to companies that specialised in various products. Novelty Imports in Regent Street (no longer there) sold beautiful flowers. I could purchase anything from full-blown silk roses, perfect primroses, forget-me-nots, violets and cherry blossom, to flower stamens. When we were commissioned to make a replica of a period wedding cake for the newly opened Museum of London in 1976.

Wedding cake for the Museum of London

I bought the most beautiful wax flowers which were ‘old stock’ and probably the last of those types available. I always bought some extras just in case they were needed for some future prop. To visit John’s wonderful showroom was like being in a flower market, only the blooms never faded. I would buy ribbons from H V Caldicott, at that time in Berners Street W1. The West End showroom was comprised of brown card boxes full of ribbons, stacked to almost ceiling height. Narrow corridors between the boxes led to the office where I would find Barry surrounded by sample cards and paperwork. It did not matter how small the purchase, he was always helpful and when I no longer went to see him in person, he would send samples, then rolls of ribbon, by post. In 1995 I purchased four rolls of silver voile ribbon, which was made is Switzerland, for Evita’s coffin dais, this was sown onto a black velvet drape. Forty metres at £4.00 per metre plus VAT!

Evita’s coffin with Marocain silk flag, tassels and silver voile ribbon – just visible on the right as is Madonna.

The tassels which hung from Evita’s coffin came from Henry Newbery of Mortimer Street, who sold the most beautiful cords, braids, tassels and gold metallic trimmings, which came in three different widths and were used to embellish so many props throughout our forty-one years. I still have some precious pieces at home in a glass-fronted drawer cabinet. Gold cords and metallic braids I purchased from Hand and Co (now Hand & Lock) who were embroiderers of decorations for uniforms and flags etc.  It was unusual to be able to purchase from them, but the lady manageress always sold me wired gold trim which looked like miniature springs. I used these for my decorations to wind around cinnamon sticks. When I was at the Central School of Art in the 1960’s I was sent to Balfours in Shoreditch to purchase feathers from a Miss Rhule. Years later, when she had moved to the attic room of a house behind Regent Street, I would climb the stairs, the conditions getting more and more decrepit with each floor, until I reached a room with a water stained ceiling, full of bags and boxes of myriad feathers. Miss Rhule would sit, curling ostrich feathers for headdresses, in a cloud of steam from the spout of her special kettle. She made all the wonderful feather boas for West End shows, and always lamented the fact that no one was interested in learning her skills, I would have loved to, but never had the time. It always amused me that she would feed the pigeons, who would march around her room amongst the feathers of their near and faraway cousins. Miss Rhule would always go on an exotic holiday in January after the Christmas Pantomime rush. She certainly deserved it. Another favourite supplier was A E Ward in Clerkenwell (now in Hatton Garden). I had to make a Faberge style egg for a Sony commercial and needed ‘diamonds’ and ‘rubies’. The stones were no problem, marquis or navette cut garnets were perfect, as were the small ‘diamonds’ mounted in strips with which I hid the joins in the hologram fabric that covered the basic egg shape. I asked Len if by any chance he had any small pink blossom flowers? Off he went into the depth of his stock room and returned with the perfect quartz flowers.

Faberge style egg for Sony Commercial

‘How many do you need?’ ‘About three dozen.’ The box contained exactly the right number.  Phew. On another occasion we had to make a replica of the Imperial State Crown for the film ‘King Ralph’. Yet again Len was able to supply all the synthetic stones we required, and over the years, many others. Nothing was ever too much trouble and often he would post me items on approval. Where did I buy the hologram fabric for the egg? In Berwick Street, Soho, at a wondrous shop called Borovicks. Yards of fabric spilled out of the door onto the market stall in the road, a preview of what could be found inside. Plain and striped cottons, satins, silks, velvets, jersey, suiting, PVC, stretch Lycra, reptile prints, gold, silver and coloured lame, hologram prints and so much more – a joy to behold. Although I always relished the hunt for different materials, there came a time when I had to rely on others to do the buying for me. Initially Karin, Keir’s sister

Karin with enhanced boobs!

– who carried on working for us for twenty-one years as workshop manager – then Fay, a bubbly redhead, as tenacious as anyone could wish for in a buyer, followed by Jill, who could charm anything out of anyone. Her daughter,

Sarah and Dean wearing headdresses for Black Adder. One of Baldrick’s cunning plans.

Sarah also worked with us from the age of sixteen – a stroppy teenager with pink Mohican hairdo and Lonsdale boxing boots – till she left eighteen years later, an accomplished graphics designer. Finally, David, who initially supplied us with paints and other materials from his shop in Shepperton High Street. Always very efficient, he loved working in a busy film studio and could be relied on to know what films were being made and as a result he was the best person to show visitors around the studio.

David caught in a large zip make for the Kenny Everett Show.

He worked with us until, much to his disappointment, we were forced to close in 2011.