Uncovering the hidden history of Hare Hill House

Photo: Reece Horton

Hare Hill House

4 More Image(s) In Gallery

Whilst restoring one of the rooms in Hare Hill House on Saturday, one of the team of volunteers discovered wallpaper that may date back about 200 years.

Although it has been badly damaged, it includes beautiful floral wallpaper and a wonderful frieze of the Pilgrim's Progress. After two days of very careful and delicate work, the frieze was discovered, hidden behind seven layers of wallpaper which had then been painted over.

Chairman of The Friends of Hare Hill House, Peter Hook, said: “If it had not have been for some people's laziness when they were re-decorating, we would never have got to see it.

“We were already working with the Whitaker Art Gallery in Manchester over some other wallpaper we had previously discovered, as they are one of the country’s leading experts in wallpaper.

“They are now very interested in helping us date and protect these new finds.”

The Victoria and Albert museum are also helping work out how a rather unusual parquet floor in the main room was made, and the Beamish Museum in County Durham has helped in identifying a pattern in some oil cloth floor covering that was found.

Additionally,  a group of collectors are helping to date a small box that used to contain pipe tobacco. Believed to have been there for nearly 100 years, it was found in perfect condition under floorboards.