Historical Publications

What makes a victorian home?If you think that Victorian means stuffy, buttoned-up, prudish and gloomy think again because the Victorian period is probably the most diverse, evolutionary and positive in recent history.

When was stained glass made?Stained glass has been used in buildings and ornaments for over 1000 years, especially in Catherals and Churches. One of the best known designers and artisans in this field is Louis Comfort Tiffany who designed and developed lighting products featuring stained and art glass at his studios in New York from the late 1800s.Tiffany is the artist probably most associated with Art…

Powis Castle near Welshpool would be a stunning place to visit at any time of year but on yet another rainy afternoon in early June, it was a treat for the senses in all ways.

The practice of using stone as flooring goes back thousands of years but in the Middle Ages it began to be recorded that flags (or rushes) would be laid across the stone to sweeten the air when trodden upon, thus giving rise to the word ‘flagstone’ as a description of stone flooring. Sweet smelling herbs such as lavender, camomile, rose petals, daisies and fennel were added to disguise somewhat prevalent bad smells.

The main method used to produce wallpapers until well into the nineteenth century was Block printing which gave a very high quality product. The size of pattern repeat was limited to the width of the paper and the weight of wood block that the printer could work with. The wallpaper was made up of 12 sheets of hand made paper pasted together to make strips long enough to go from the top to the bottom of the wall. Usually a blank margin…

The history of creating glass goes back to 3500BC in Mesopotamia and the word derives from the latin term Glesum.Glass is a transparent, typically brittle non-crystalline solid material and has the ability to refract, reflect and transmit light without scattering it. A major use over centuries has been in windows and drinking vessels using soda-lime glass, which is predominantly silica-based whereas many other applications e.g bottles…

It was only from the late 1500s when people ceased to live in one big room that the royal palaces and then the houses of the courtiers and gentry were divided into individual rooms and the need for room dividers and ways of accessing the different rooms came to be necessary. At first, rooms were separated by woven hangings but gradually wooden doors became more widespread. These doors were hung from rudimentary hand forged strap hinges…

The kitchen came from very humble beginnings in the Middle Ages, where peasants lived in one room which served as a room for cooking, eating and general living. The kitchen really consisted of a hearth stone, a smoky wood fire with a pot on top and a wooden spoon. This was used from as far back as the Saxons right up to the time of the Tudors as it was a very effective method of food preparation. Food was foraged so the diet was seasonal…

“We are all born in the gutter, but some of us get to see the stars” Oscar Wilde.Whilst the form of cast iron and plastic reproduction guttering and their fixings can have a highly distinctive and attractive appearance, their primary function is to disperse the rain falling on a property from seeping into the dwelling and in some cases collect water for future use. There are many types of guttering on the market to suit all styles of…

When were railings invented?The earliest railings were wrought iron, and their manufacture was possible because of the development of blast furnaces in the 15th century. Early examples can occasionally be found inside churches. Wrought iron continued to be used until the late 19th century, following the emergence of steel. Cast iron railings did not appear until the second half of the 18th century, following the development of new…