Archives held at the Hamilton Kerr Institute

Westby Percival-Prescott

22 January 1923 – 22 January 2005

Westby William Percival-Prescott, conservator and painter: born Cambridge 22 January 1923; Head of Picture Conservation Department, National Maritime Museum 1961-83, Keeper and Head of Picture Department 1977-83. David Bomford wrote an obituary which was originally published in The Independent and which is repeated on this website.

Westby Percival-Prescott had a keen interest in the craft tradition of painting. The archive held by the Hamilton Kerr consists mostly of paint samples. The samples are a variety of linseed oil paint formulations that have naturally aged.

The archive will primarily be of interest to researchers in the field of Conservation. Analysis of the samples may be permitted under some circumstances. Please see our Access Policy for more information on accessing this archive.