Isabel Porch : Hand Printed Wallpaper

Isabel Porch is a pattern designer, print maker and storyteller. Inspired by her Welsh heritage she is drawn to the histories of objects and the stories and emotions they can evoke.

Isabel has hand block printed a single roll of wallpaper which features a bespoke design that reflects upon the historic wallpaper fragments on show in the Archaeology of Home exhibition

This is the third feature of contemporary craft and design shown as part of the Archaeology of Home exhibition which features fragments, materials and tools from Dinefwr’s collections. These often-humble objects offer a fascinating glimpse into the historical building materials, decorative techniques and craft skills used in the construction and decoration of Newton House since the mid-17th century.

The exhibition includes a collection of historical wallpaper fragments, many surveyed by the V&A Museum in London, and mostly found as part of the archaeological survey undertaken when the National Trust took over Newton House in the early 1990s.

These fragments represent designs and techniques in wallpaper design and production from early 18th century flock wallpaper, hand painted Chinese paper, and hand wood block printed designs to 19th and 20th century machine produced papers. We also commissioned the restoration of a fragile roll of printed floral paper from the 1850s from our collection which would originally have hung in Lord Dynevor’s bed chamber.