Journal

A Victorian Design That Soars Through Time: The Revival of a Watts Classic

Among Watts 1874’s most iconic wallpapers, Bird stands apart—not for being loud or ostentatious, but for the quiet strength of its design. First drawn around 1871, Bird is an intricate interplay of delicately rendered...
London Design Week 2025 - A Week of Colour and Creativity at Watts 1874

With their shared appreciation for colour and tonality, Edward Bulmer and Alidad graciously took centre stage, offering their insights into the power of colour to shape atmosphere, mood, and architectural...
Watts on Show? Watts 1874 x Eastnor Castle at London Design Week

Watts on Show? Watts 1874 x Eastnor Castle at London Design Week: A Celebration of Historic Wallpapers London Design Week is a highlight in the global design calendar—a time when...
The Camberwell Collection - Embrace the Fresh Start of Spring with Timeless Botanical Designs

The Camberwell Collection Embrace the Fresh Start of Spring with Timeless Botanical Designs There’s something magical about springtime. The warmth in the air, the dazzle of fresh greenery, and the...
Why Watts & Co. Started: A Vision of “Fully Furnished” Design

Why Watts & Co. Started: A Vision of “Fully Furnished” Design It’s 1874, and London is booming. The Victorian age is in full swing—Queen Victoria reigns over an Empire, and...
Visionaries and Rebels

Visionaries and Rebels ‘Oxford gave birth to the infant, but Cambridge provided it with theright clothes.’ – Prebendary Clarke’s explanation of the development of nineteenth-century ecclesiastical vestments. The contrasts between 1874...
The Maverick Architects: Breaking from Tradition

The Maverick Architects Breaking from Tradition In 1907, Lord Curzon, as chancellor of Oxford, choreographed a spectacular honorary degree ceremony to emphasise his university’s independence from a potentially predatory government....
The Middle Child

The Middle Child In any family, it is not easy being in the middle. The epithet had to wait a couple of generations for it to be coined by his...
A Country Parson in Olney: Hardship and Humility

A Country Parson in OlneyHardship and Humility Thomas Scott, The Commentator As a young curate, Thomas was sent to minister to a succession of villages near Olney in Northern...
From Sheep Farmer’s Son to Theologian

From Sheep Farmer’s Son to Theologian Thomas Scott, The Commentator Tenth of thirteen children born to a Lincolnshire sheep farmer, Thomas proved a precocious child. At the age of...
Breaking Ground: The Workhouse Architect

Breaking Ground The Workhouse Architect Following completion of his articles, GGS was employed, unpaid, in preparing the working drawings and supervising Hungerford Market, one of the greatest construction projects of...
The Making of an Architect

The Making of an Architect It was not much fun growing up in Gawcott in the early nineteenth century. The land in North Buckinghamshire was poor, and despite the extra...
Our Legacy - A Heritage of Design and Craftsmanship

Our Legacy A Heritage of Design and Craftsmanship In the world of luxury interior design, few names command the same level of reverence as Watts 1874. A name synonymous...