Paul Robinson

12th November 1954 - 26th January 2019

A Master of Plaster retires but all is not lost!

Like all institutions, here at The Regency Town House we have our routines. One of these is creating a contact page for each new volunteer. It was back in the autumn of 2012 that I found myself processing retired plasterer Paul Robinson’s information and noting his issues with high blood pressure and respiratory disease.

“Are you sure we are the right choice for you”, I’d said. “With your skill set, we’d love to have you join us but working here will surely cause you additional health problems?”

Paul’s response was forthright. Of course, he knew about the bloody risks and, of course, he’d considered them carefully. He assured me that after his diagnosis, which had caused his early retirement from work, he’d carefully followed his doctor’s good practice guidelines. But, he concluded, “The rules might extend my life but they don’t provide what I want, I’d rather be doing than reminiscing”.

With this discussion out of the way, Paul quickly integrated into the volunteer team, taking on work himself and taking under his wing several enthusiastic trainee plasterers; each of whom had to be briefed about his condition and the various implications of his decision.

What a fabulous contribution Paul went on to make over the next several years. Each week he’d bring to the Town House his witty and irreverent sense of humour, his infectious enthusiasm for work and his warm and inspiring teaching capabilities.

He led much of the plaster repair work in the basement of No.10, passing-on invaluable skill sets to numerous volunteers while being careful to ensure that no one ‘gentrified’ the room finishes - a cardinal sin when repairing the below stairs rooms of a large Georgian house.

Later, he moved on to work in No.13, taking on repairs to some of the grand upstairs rooms and the complete re-plastering of the basement kitchen - a room that has gone on to play such a key role in our fundraising activities.

Overall, Paul set out hundreds of square meters of lath, applied tens of tons of lime plaster to ceilings and walls and introduced numerous run-section details to the House. On occasion, as he worked and tutored, he would share with me his enjoyment of contributing to a project where the authentic rather than the lowest cost option was king and where he could express his fondness for Brighton & Hove. Here, he was able to leave something of long-lasting value to the city he loved.

Sadly, a couple of years ago, Paul’s health deteriorated further and work at the Town House became impossible. He did make it back several times to see us - either to participate in our annual tradition of the Volunteers' Christmas Dinner or simply to see how we’d progressed repairs in his absence - but gone were the days of him ‘hanging’ plaster or recreating socially with us over a pie and a pint after work .

With his death, we have lost Paul forever, he will never visit the Town House again, but we have strong memories of a staunch friend, a knowledgeable craftsman and a joyous man, and Paul will remain with us as someone who always gave far more than he took.

To ensure that future volunteers and visitors know something of Paul’s ethos and contribution, we are creating this year a plaster plaque in his memory and placing this in a room within the Town House to be named after him. So, although Paul has ‘left the building’ he remains close to us all.

Paul leaves behind many friends and family members, our commiserations and very best wishes go to them all.

Nick Tyson – Curator, The Regency Town House, February 2019