Page 31 - The Collector's Companion: Issue CC101

On the Walls of Balmoral What the

flock?
A rare look at a very special wallpaper

Good weather and Scotland aren’t two things we’d Traditionally printed
usually associate with each other, but in the August
of 1847 Queen Victoria was enticed to Balmoral flock wallpaper is a
highly skilled version
Aberdeenshire, by the promise of blue skies after en- of potato printing and
during a stint of terrible weather in Loch Laggan.
glitter gluing!
By 1856 Balmoral had been purchased and the con-
struction of a larger castle, made from local granite,
was completed. Following Prince Albert’s death in A strong adhesive is
1861, Victoria spent increasing amounts of time at used in place of one
Balmoral, up to four months a year. of the inks. The wood
block is pressed onto a
Fast forwarding two decades and 500 miles south, in bed of glue.
1881 the designer William Morris had a London show-
room on Oxford Street, over 50 wallpaper designs in
production and a new textiles factory in Merton Abbey Traditionally this
Mills. Despite Morris’s desire to provide art for all, his glue had turpentine
work was sought after by the wealthy and that year he in it, which served
was asked to redecorate St. James’s Palace. the useful purpose of
repelling moths.
“St. James’s” wallpaper includes typical Morris fea-
tures - strong twisting branches and acanthus leaves.
With the impressive design repeating across two The print block is
widths of paper (and 127cm high) it required 68 print- lowered down onto the
ing blocks to produce it, far more than the usual 4-10 wallpaper and pressure
blocks Morris’s other papers used. is applied to transfer
the glue onto the paper
Queen Victoria must have been pleased with the results Above: The wallpaper in Balmoral
as in 1887, the Golden Jubilee year, Morris was com-
missioned to create a wallpaper for Balmoral Castle. See more online With the design printed
Morris’s design was bright and classic. It is comprised View this feature on our website for more photos in glue, the paper is
of the royal cypher (Victoria Regina Imperatrix) and a and a video showing the production of hand block laid flat on a canvas
Scottish thistle within large lozenges. It was produced printed flock wallpaper at the Sanderson/Morris bed and the wool fibres
in a fine merrino flock, fawn on a white ground. With factory, set to a cheerful 1960s soundtrack! are scattered over it.
its formal diaper design, and strong lines of symme- Below: Detail from the wallpaper - fuzzy!
try it is quite unlike Morris’s own style and much more
in keeping with the typical wallpapers of the period. The canvas is beaten
Where the Morris signature style shines through is in from underneath to
its simplicity of form and its lack of attempt or desire create static electricity,
to depict the pieces realistically. resulting in the fibres
standing up on end.
The wallpaper still adorns Balmoral’s walls today and
as a private residence of the Royal Family is rarely
photographed inside. A paper reprint of the design in The finished paper is
shades of blue can be viewed at the V&A. The flock
reprint shown here in the original colourings is from a hung up to dry, which
can take a number of
private collection.
days. Voila!

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