The Scenario

18 Stafford Terrace, London, an 1860s four-storey terraced house, was once the home of Punch cartoonist and pioneering photographer Edward Linley Sambourne.

Between 1874 and 1900 he introduced the highly decorative, fashionable finishes and fittings typical of the aesthetic movement popular with artists at the time. These included William Morris wallpapers, embossed imitation leather wall coverings, stained and painted glass, gilded finishes, ornate fireplaces, decorative encaustic tiles and early linoleum.

The Issue

The interior has been little altered since Sambourne's day. The aim was to
prolong the life of all original materials, finishes and fixtures through
conservation.

The Scope of the Project

• Investigation involving curators, historians, conservators and consultants to establish the decorative chronology, identify materials and techniques.
• Extensive programme of condition surveys, sampling and scientific analysis.
• Preparation of specifications and tender documents.
• Management of a team of specialist conservators.
• Removal and studio conservation of damaged papers, painted glass etc.
• In-situ treatment of papers, painted and gilded surfaces, stained and painted glass, flooring, fireplaces, encaustic tiles and plaster.

The Outcome

Now a museum, Linley Sambourne's house provides an extraordinary example of a late Victorian and Edwardian middle class household - with its interior conserved for generations to come.