During the recent building work on the palace, fragments of historic wallpaper have been found hidden behind cupboards and panelling and under layers of plaster.
The fragments date from the 1790’s to the 1940’s, giving a fascinating glimpse into the historic decoration of the palace. There are regency blue stripes, bright orange floral patterns, Chinese inspired traces of bamboo lattice as well as pin print hand-printed designs.
The wallpaper fragments were found on the ground floor rooms of the palace, rooms which used to be inhabited by high-status servants and housekeepers. These cryptic unfinished patterns form the basis for our current Artist in Residence programme at the palace. We are delighted to announce that we have recently recruited artist Natalie Ryde to conduct a residency at the palace from April – September where Natalie will be working on her own commission as well as with our learning audiences to create work inspired by these wallpaper fragments.
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