The greatest surprise was not one, but two more layers of painted paper beneath the green. These were not wallpapers sold as long rolls as we know them today, but small sheets (equivalent to about A3 size) which were pasted on to the stretched hessian scrim.
These sheets of high-quality paper made with finely chopped rags were painted to give a flat, uniform appearance, in this case in a light grey-mauve. The colour was clearly popular with the family, as the room was redecorated in the same tones - probably first in the later 1700s and later in the early 1800s; most likely when the room was made-over to celebrate the Onslow earldom in 1801.
What next?
We’re beginning to understand more about some of the earlier decorative schemes in the Speakers’ Parlour and how the decoration in the house changed over the centuries according to use, taste and finances.
It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to put the fragile top layer of wallpaper back into the room in the same way that it previously hung. Our research in the Speakers’ Parlour leaves us with another tantalising question: which of the five historic schemes, from different periods of history, is the most suitable to showcase for the Clandon Park of the future?