Little Greene paint has been used in the ongoing restoration of one of London’s most celebrated theatres. The Intelligent Matt Emulsion finish was selected for the refurbishment of the auditorium and historic dome ceiling at the Grade II-listed Shaftesbury Theatre.
Shaftesbury Theatre in London is currently undergoing the latest phase of its long-term £25 million refurbishment programme. As part of the works, the auditorium along with its magnificent dome is being restored and repainted, in a project set to continue until early 2027.
Specialist contractors, MCD Heritage, have been supporting the refurbishment programme at Shaftesbury Theatre since 2021. They used paints from Little Greene’s range of water-based Intelligent finishes to restore the auditorium. Site Manager, Ian Fernie, said: “On this project, we have been using Little Greene’s Intelligent Matt Emulsion on the Graco Airless paint sprayer. We thinned the first coat by about 5%, which allowed the finish through this to be consistent.” He continued, “The first coat took approximately 2 hours to dry, the second coat was applied after this to give us a consistent finish.”
Related blue-green paint shades, Aquamarine and Ambleside, were chosen from the Little Greene colour card to complement the historic Grade II listed building. An authentic National Trust colour, Ambleside is a historic shade originally used in Beatrix Potter’s Edwardian bedroom at Hill Top Farm, meaning it felt particularly suitable for this West End theatre, which opened in 1911.
Ian Fernie added, “We have used these colours in previous phases for the Bertie Crew Bar and the Ray Cooney Suite, and we will continue using them for the remaining feature walls and ceilings in the auditorium.”
This notable project called for the use of the highest quality paint finishes that would provide the required level of durability and ease of application. Little Greene’s manufacturing pedigree, environmentally friendly formulations and historic colour palette meant their paints could be used with confidence in the iconic commercial heritage setting.
Every tin of Little Greene paint is carefully manufactured and rigorously tested in the company’s small paint factory in North Wales, where they use the same technical expertise used to make paints for bridges, boats, castles and even lighthouses. Their range of Intelligent paints are up to 15 times more hardwearing than ordinary household finishes.
Ian Fernie commented, “We found that the coverage with Little Greene has been excellent. We’ve worked with Little Greene before, so it was an obvious choice to use here at Shaftesbury Theatre. We have always received excellent feedback from our tradespeople when using Little Greene products!”
All images © MCD Heritage 2026
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