Congratulations to BA (Hons) Conservation: Books & Paper student Mila Newbold on co-authoring an article published in The Wallpaper History Review 2026. Co-authored with Alexandra Wade, ‘A Pattern of Possibilities: Uncovering the Hidden Wallpaper of the Commissioner’s House’ explores the wallpaper discoveries made during the restoration of the Commissioner’s House at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
Mila is a second year student on our BA (Hons) Conservation: Books & Paper course and joined The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust in summer 2025 to work on the Commissioner’s House Wallpaper Conservation Project, helping to uncover, conserve and document materials in the building.
The sixth wallpaper find, in a papered bathroom, detail Photo: © Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust
The Commissioner’s House at Chatham Dockyard is Britain’s oldest surviving naval residence. In January 2025 the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust embarked on an ambitious project to restore the property in full. Throughout the renovation project many sections of wallpaper were uncovered across all four floors of the 1704 residence. The wallpaper discoveries have offered insight into domestic aesthetics and undocumented practices within the naval house from the 18th century onward. This article will cover the historical context of the Dockyard site, the house itself, the restoration project and the wallpaper conservation.
Read the full article in the new edition of The Wallpaper History Review 2026.
Consolidation with methylcellulose. Photo: © Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust