History of Anaglypta For Relief Decoration
Anaglypta was patented in 1887 by Thomas J. Palmer, the former London showroom manager of Lincrusta, and launched at the Royal Jubilee Exhibition in Manchester. The name ‘Anaglypta’ was conceived by Palmer and is derived from the Greek words ‘Ana’ meaning ‘raised’ and ‘Glypta’ meaning ‘cameo’.
Manufacture was initially undertaken by Storey Brothers from their Queens Mill Factory at Lancaster from 1888. The business was later acquired by C & J.G. Potter & Company in 1894, transferring manufacture to Darwen, before being purchased by the Wallpaper Manufacturers Ltd. (WPM) in 1899, where Palmer remained as manager.
Anaglypta was made with a simpler, more economic process than Lincrusta, utilising paper pulp, which was then embossed before drying. Anaglypta was, and still is economical, strong, and long lasting, with unlimited decorative paint options available once installed on walls and ceilings.
Anaglypta was manufactured in competition to Lincrusta and appealed to a far greater audience as it was cheaper and offered a far greater range of designs by well-known Victorian designers such as C.F. Voysey, Dr Christopher Dresser, George Haité and Arthur Silver and continue to manufacture to this day.
Ernest Shackleton Quest Cabin Restoration
In 2016, Lincrusta Heritage Wallcoverings of Morecombe, Lancashire were approached to advise on the restoration of the sea cabin in which Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton died of a heart attack in 1922. Shackleton was on board his exploration ship Quest, which was anchored off South Georgia, en route to the Antarctic.
Lincrusta contacted us here at Anaglypta Restoration and with only a photo for reference, a matching mould was found within our historic archival materials. The design, manufactured by both Anaglypta and Lincrusta was pattern No. 619.
Our very own Michael Wilson was commissioned to manufacture a suitable mould that would be utilised to recreate and restore the design. The process required Michael to take our small duplicate mould, taken from an earlier project, and extend it to ensure it was a precise replica for the space. This was then carefully crafted, crated and shipped to Athy in Ireland, where it was used by the restoration team to restore this iconic space.
The process of restoring the interior was featured on the Irish TV channel RT1 on 2nd May 2022.
The story about how the restoration project came about and the background to the Quest is both intriguing and fascinating. For further information please access the links below:
https://sgmuseum.gs/death-of-shackleton/
