My husband, Paul Barker, who has died aged 53 of cancer, was an expert in listed buildings who worked on the preservation and improvement of a number of London landmarks, including Kensington Palace and the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Among his greatest triumphs was his contribution to the phased restoration of the Grade II-listed London Coliseum theatre, which was particularly complex because the works had to be sequenced between open and closed periods of the theatre, which houses the English National Opera. It was an especially fruitful assignment, as Paul developed a love of opera as a direct result of working on it.
The church of St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square followed: an ambitious undertaking that involved the refurbishment of an adjoining office building and the creation of a two-storey basement to sit beneath the churchyard. The whole enterprise was a resounding success.
Paul was also involved in the transformation of Kensington Palace’s visitor facilities from 2010 to 2012, which included the provision of four new pedestrian routes, a cafe and shop, education and community facilities, improved accessibility, and new public spaces that reconnected the palace with Kensington Gardens. His calming influence and ability to address complex situations was pivotal in the delivery of the palace’s reopening to the public by the Queen in her diamond jubilee year.
Born in Peckham, south London, the eldest son of Tom Barker, an engineer at Ove Arup, and Heather (nee Lamond), Paul went to Longdean school in Hemel Hempstead and then studied to be a quantity surveyor at Central London Polytechnic. From there he joined the London-based property consultancy Gardiner & Theobald as a graduate trainee in 1982, rising to become a project manager a decade later. One of his earliest successes was his involvement in the refurbishment of the derelict Grade II-listed Lyndhurst Hall in Hampstead, which was turned into Air Studios, a recording studio complex, at the behest of Sir George Martin.
Other notable projects in which Paul was involved included restorations in Carlton House Terrace in Westminster and at the Herbert art gallery and museum in Coventry. At the time of his death he was working on a number of unfinished London-based initiatives, including the relocation of the Design Museum to the Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington and the construction of a new livery hall in the City for the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers.
Paul was a knowledgeable, hardworking professional with a calm, reliable nature, as well as a sense of humour, an appreciation of style, and an impressive general knowledge. He was a lifelong Crystal Palace supporter and a season ticket holder at Saracens rugby union club.
He is survived by his father, his brother, Stephen, and by myself and our children, Phoebe and Gabriel.
