Anaglypta, was the biggest rival of Lincrusta-Walton.
Anaglypta is an embossed, hollow relief paintable wallpaper introduced in 1887, the same year as Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The name Anaglypta is derived from the Greek meaning ‘raised cameo’. Patented in 1887 by Thomas Palmer, a former manager at Lincrusta-Walton, Mr Palmer partnered with The Storey Brothers of Lancaster, then Anaglypta went into production the following year at Queens Mill, Lancaster. Anaglypta quickly became a popular cost-effective choice. By 1894 production was relocated to larger premises at Potters Mill, Darwen, also in Lancashire, and was later incorporated into the Wallpaper Manufacturing Company.
The Wallpaper Manufacturers Ltd (WPM) was incorporated as a joint stock company in 1899, merging the interests of 31 firms, who between them controlled up to 98 per cent of the British wallpaper market, including similar raised relief wallpaper, such as Cordelova, Salamander and Lignomur. The Frederick Walton Company (Lincrusta and Cameoid) was added by 1905. At first each company kept their own identity, but by 1920 Anaglypta, Lincrusta and Cameoid were produced together in Darwen, Lancs. with some designs being made available in either product.
Once there were hundreds of Anaglypta designs including wallpaper and decorative ceiling designs, borders, friezes, dado panelling, and other decorative details. Sadly, many pre-war designs went out of production when presses and plates were melted down for the war effort. If you are lucky enough to be the owner of some vintage Anaglypta or similar textured wallpaper that needs attention, we can help to make repairs or replicate additional panels as needed for renovation projects. Contact us for more details.
See two recent projects in the galleries below our answers to some FAQs.
We have been fans of Anaglypta for many years and are experts in installation and repair. In our work we are often asked similar questions over and again so we decided that it’s time we published our most Frequently Asked Questions for all to read.
We hope our answers about Anaglypta will help to inform your choices when renovating or decorating your homes and commercial spaces.
Anaglypta is a type of textured wallpaper which is hollow embossed. An affordable option for adding character and charm to Victorian and Edwardian homes as well as more contemporary properties. Paint it to match your chosen colour scheme. Originally developed in the 1880s by Robert Palmer, a former Manager at Lincrusta-Walton and first manufactured by Storeys of Lancaster.
Lincrusta is a raised relief wallcovering made from a linseed-based putty pressed onto a backing paper which is solid all the way through. Lincrusta is washable and cures with age making it much more durable than Anaglypta, which easily flattens when pressed.
Frank’s simple TOP TIP to tell the difference – Tap the raised relief with your fingernail, if your wallpaper is Anaglypta it will sound hollow compared to tapping the flat area of the wall. Alternatively, try pressing the raised relief with a pin in an inconspicuous area to check if it is solid or hollow.
How old is your property? Many of the pre-1939 production rollers were melted down for the war effort, which means those period designs are sadly out of production. But, don’t worry – if you have a vintage Lincrusta or Anaglypta design in need of repairs – we have a solution!
YES! The Lincrusta Restoration Kit was specifically developed for restoring beautiful old designs no longer available on the high street. This method is also suitable for restoring heritage Anaglypta and other similar relief wallpapers that came to market from 1870s – 1910. Frank Holmes Fine Decor has the skills to take a mould of your existing installation and replicate additional panels as needed for a sympathetic restoration of dados, wainscots, friezes, wallpaper and ceilings.
Lincrusta (from 1877) and Anaglypta (from 1887), have a partly shared company history. We have access to both company archives which helps us to identify designs we are asked to repair and restore. We have our own growing archive collection of heritage designs available for specially commissioned projects – ask us for details.
We feel incredibly honoured to work with our clients on their Anaglypta projects. Showcased below are a selection of the exceptional projects we’ve completed.
Whether you have a residential, commercial or interior design project we’d love to have a chat about how we can help.
