For Wright, as Casson, art was an integral part of the design of a room.
“The artist’s point of view is necessary from the beginning, not merely for decoration but as part of the whole”.
In the Cricketer’s Tavern, Ruskin Spear’s CBE R.A. life-size, oil portraits of legendary cricketers W.G. Grace, Sir Donald Bradman, Learie N. Constantine and K.S. Ranjitsinhji, brought the theme of the bar to life and cleverly acted as as sub-dividers to separate the seating areas. Cricket was a subject dear to Wright’s heart but in choosing it as a theme for a bar on board CANBERRA he wanted to celebrate “the greatest interest common to Englishman and Australian”!
On the surrounding willow walls, the designer Margaret Redfern created a montage of autographed cricket bats, balls, caps and pads from a collection amassed with the help of the former England Captain, Colin Cowdrey.
