135 King Street, Great Yarmouth

Situated in the centre of Great Yarmouth, this building with mid-17th-century origins was purchased by the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust in 2013, after being on the Buildings at Risk Register. 

The following major programme of restoration uncovered extensive 18th-century panelling, painted in its original colours and, behind this, an even earlier and incredibly rare survivor of a trompe l’oeil design, likely from the late 17th century.  

We were commissioned to undertake a programme of conservation and stabilisation on the wall paintings to ensure their future survival. 

All surfaces were carefully cleaned using both dry and wet techniques and the plaster substrate filled and consolidated to stabilize the surface in preparation for new paint. The original flaking paint was re-adhered to the plaster surface, and all paint losses retouched to match the surrounding areas. 

The conservation of these wall paintings helps to improve our understanding of Great Yarmouth as a wealthy, cosmopolitan trading port in the late 17th and 18th centuries.