Treasures of Commissioner’s House: Wallpaper
Treasures of Commissioner’s House: Wallpaper
While Commissioner’s House undergoes an extensive renovation project, the team is finding some long-forgotten items and treasures. In this blog, we are focusing on the samples of wallpaper that have been uncovered.
Decorating The House
Restoration of the first floor Sunne Room and Sunne Annex has included uncovering the original walls, exposing bare planks behind the blue false walls.
Once the boards were uncovered, it was clear that a lining had previously been tacked to the walls. Our Conservator carefully and diligently took some samples of the lining material and small pieces of the planks that have come loose over time. These samples will be used for further analysis.
The Sunne Room and Sunne Annexe are used in Commissioner’s House to host wedding ceremonies and overlooks the garden at the back of the house. You can see some pictures of what the room used to look like in our ‘Then and Now’ blog post.
Bellona Room
Whilst our restoration team were undertaking this work, they were simultaneously working in the Bellona Room, at the front of the first floor. In here, a beautiful floral wallpaper was discovered behind a picture rail. A sample was removed and handed to our Conservator, who lightly cleaned the piece. It is now in safekeeping in our archives whilst we undertake further research and attempt to date it.
History of Wallpaper
Did you know that the earliest wallpaper dates back to 1509? The “black and white papers” were printed in carbon ink; the earliest example of this kind of paper was found in The Master’s Lodge at Christ’s College, Cambridge.
Wallpaper was for the wealthiest of society, an expensive commodity, and it was often imported from China to decorate the rooms of houses.
Commissioner’s House has many fragments of different wallpaper in its many rooms. We’re still unsure of the exact dates for all of the samples that we have collected. The Collections Team are diligently photographing and cataloguing everything that is found.
More Treasures to Uncover
Whilst Commissioner’s House is undergoing its renovation project, we will be sharing all the treasures found hidden within the building. Follow our blog and socials to stay up to date.
We are grateful for the generous support from:
