Frank Holmes Fine Decor – Heritage Decorating & Lincrusta Restoration

Frank Holmes Limited, trading as Frank Holmes Fine Decor & Restoration, is a specialist heritage decorating and decorative restoration practice based near Lancaster, Lancashire. Established as a decorating business in 1990, it combines more than 35 years of hands-on experience with a particular expertise in historic raised-relief wallcoverings, designer wallpaper installation, traditional decorative arts and the repair of period interiors.

Frank Holmes is an advanced-level Approved Lincrusta Installer and Restorer, undertaking both new installations and the careful repair or replication of historic embossed papers. The practice works with original Lincrusta, pre-war Anaglypta, Lignomur and other rare relief wallcoverings, including patterns no longer manufactured. Its projects range from private Victorian and Edwardian houses to historic civic buildings, hospitality interiors and heritage railway vehicles.

Historic Wallcovering Conservation and Restoration

Many nineteenth- and early twentieth-century interiors retain decorative papers on walls, dadoes, friezes and ceilings. These finishes are important evidence of the materials, design fashions and craftsmanship of their period, but may have been damaged by water ingress, alterations, wear or inappropriate past repairs. Frank Holmes specialises in conserving these surviving decorations, matching missing sections and restoring the visual continuity of historic schemes.

Specialist restoration services include:

• Repair and restoration of original Lincrusta relief wallpapers and panels.
• Conservation and replication of discontinued pre-war Anaglypta designs.
• Restoration of Lignomur and other historic raised-relief wallcoverings.
• Repair of decorative dado panelling, friezes, borders and embossed ceiling papers.
• Careful removal, stabilisation and refitting of damaged or loosened sections where appropriate.
• Making moulds from surviving patterns to create replacement panels and decorative sections.
• Reinstatement of missing decoration following changes to doors, openings and room layouts.
• Painting, glazing and finishing new and repaired work to harmonise with the surrounding interior.

Where patterns have gone out of production, original material can serve as a reference for mould-making and replication. The objective is to conserve authentic surviving work where practicable, replace only what is needed and restore coherent decorative schemes without unnecessarily discarding historic fabric.

Lincrusta Installation, Finishing and Restoration

Introduced in 1877, Lincrusta is a British-made embossed wallcovering associated with richly textured Victorian, Edwardian and later interiors. Its installation requires specialist knowledge: decorative sheets must be trimmed and fitted carefully, particularly around corners, architectural joinery and complex period detailing.

Frank is trained to advanced level by Lincrusta and provides supply, preparation, installation and decorative finishing services. Work can include wallcoverings, dado panels, friezes and borders, with painted, highlighted or bespoke finishes selected to suit the architectural setting. The practice also repairs older installations and reproduces missing historic patterns where feasible.

New Lincrusta installations can be designed for contemporary as well as traditional interiors, while restoration commissions concentrate on safeguarding the distinctive relief, pattern and character of existing work.

Pre-War Anaglypta and Discontinued Pattern Replication

First produced in the late nineteenth century, Anaglypta became a popular form of embossed decorative wallpaper. Numerous historic patterns were discontinued, leaving owners of Victorian and Edwardian buildings with limited options when portions of a dado or ceiling are damaged or missing.

Frank Holmes offers specialist restoration and bespoke replication of surviving pre-war Anaglypta and related designs. The practice draws on historic trade catalogues, surviving samples and archival research to identify designs and recreate matching sections. This can be particularly valuable where a historic room has been remodelled, an opening has been blocked or a damaged section must be replaced without losing the surrounding original decoration.

The business is not a general stockist of Anaglypta; its distinctive service is the conservation and reproduction of historic designs, alongside professional installation of new designer wallcoverings.

Traditional Decorative Arts and Bespoke Finishes

In addition to wallcovering restoration, Frank Holmes undertakes specialist decorative painting and fine finishing. Traditional decorative techniques can be used to reinstate period character, enrich architectural details or create carefully considered new interiors.

• Gilding and decorative metallic effects.
• Wood graining and imitation timber finishes.
• Marbling and other faux decorative painting.
• Specialist hand-painted and spray-finished kitchen cabinetry.
• Bespoke wall finishes, ornamental accents and feature installations.
• Decorative refinishing of restored relief wallcoverings.
• High-quality internal painting and specialist surface preparation.

These services can be commissioned separately or integrated with the restoration of an older interior. The emphasis is on skilled application, careful detailing and finishes appropriate to each building or design brief.

Designer Wallpaper and Specialist Installation

Frank Holmes installs premium and technically demanding wallpapers, including products by Lincrusta, Zuber, Morris & Co, Osborne & Little and Little Greene, as well as scenic panels and feature wallcoverings. The practice stresses the importance of careful surface preparation, wall lining and accurate pattern matching.

Projects can include historic-inspired decorative schemes, feature walls, commercial interiors and contemporary interiors requiring specialised materials. The practice also describes experience with waterproof wallcovering systems for suitable wet-area design projects.

Bespoke Heritage Designs and the Heritage Collection

The Heritage Collection, developed by Frank and Amanda Holmes, brings together archive research, surviving decorative fragments and new craft production to revive designs associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The practice investigates the history of individual patterns and, where possible, their original designers and manufacturers.

Special commissions can draw on rare or discontinued relief designs, adapted for decorative wall art, dado panels, doors and other interior features. Work may involve making a master from historic fragments and casting new decorative components. The collection includes designs based on surviving twentieth-century Parisian Art Deco samples.

These commissions are relevant to period property owners, architects and interior designers seeking historically informed decoration or a distinctive contemporary interpretation of traditional raised-relief craftsmanship.

Selected Heritage Restoration Projects

Royton Town Hall, Oldham

During refurbishment of Royton Town Hall, historic Lincrusta friezes were discovered above a suspended ceiling. Working with the project architects, Frank Holmes researched and identified the patterns using historic catalogues and surviving evidence. After salvaging and stabilising damaged material, the practice made moulds and cast 75 replacement panels to reinstate two decorative friezes. Research suggested that the original installation dated to around 1891–1892.

Langdale Chase Hotel, Windermere

At the historic Langdale Chase Hotel, Frank Holmes restored and refinished rare Tynecastle Tapestry embossed canvas wallcoverings, friezes and related decorative details. Archival research helped identify the coverings as examples associated with the nineteenth-century manufacturer William Scott Morton & Company. Repairs and subtle decorative glazing contributed to the restoration of the hotel's historic interiors.

Victorian Railway Dining Car ECJS 189

Frank Holmes contributed to the recreation of a historic Lincrusta border for the restoration of the Victorian railway dining car ECJS 189, an ongoing heritage railway conservation project. The commission illustrates the application of decorative wallcovering expertise beyond conventional domestic and commercial buildings.

Private Victorian and Edwardian Homes

Residential work includes repairs to water-damaged Lincrusta, replication of early twentieth-century Lignomur dado panels and reinstatement of decoration around altered doorways. Specialist mould-making enables matching sections to be produced where surviving original patterns are no longer commercially available.

Working with Architects, Interior Designers and Heritage Clients

Frank Holmes works with private homeowners, interior designers, architects, commercial property operators and heritage project teams. Commissions may involve advising on the repairability of original decorative finishes, selecting appropriate wallcoverings, tracing discontinued patterns or creating bespoke features inspired by historic sources.

The practice offers an initial consultation to discuss ideas and available design options. For significant historic interiors, it can work alongside the conservation architect, building surveyor or other specialists responsible for the broader repair strategy.

Conservation Approach and Retention of Historic Fabric

Historic embossed wallcoverings are often overlooked during refurbishment, yet they can have considerable artistic, documentary and architectural value. A surviving border, dado or ceiling pattern may provide rare evidence of a building's original or early decorative scheme.

Repairing such work instead of stripping it out can preserve original craftsmanship, avoid unnecessary replacement and maintain an important part of the building's character. Frank and Amanda Holmes support this approach through practical restoration, historical research, archive collection and sharing knowledge about British decorative wallcoverings.

Any works affecting listed buildings or other protected historic interiors should be planned with appropriate conservation advice and statutory consent where required. The suitability of materials and methods depends on the condition and significance of the original fabric.

Professional Training and Memberships

Frank Holmes is an advanced-level Approved Lincrusta Installer and Restorer. The practice identifies membership of the Institute of Conservation (Icon), Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), Wallpaper History Society and Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. Frank became a Freeman of the Painter-Stainers' Company in 2024. Memberships are listed as declared by the practice; clients should verify current standing for any particular commission.

Areas Covered

Based near Lancaster, the business principally serves Lancashire, Cumbria, the Lake District, Morecambe Bay, the Lune Valley and the Yorkshire Dales, with projects elsewhere in North West England and further afield considered individually. Previous work has included commissions outside the UK; availability for distant projects should be confirmed directly.

Contact Frank Holmes Fine Decor & Restoration

For heritage Lincrusta or Anaglypta repairs, designer wallpaper installation, decorative finishes or a bespoke historical pattern commission, contact Frank Holmes to discuss the project and available restoration options.

Website: www.frankholmesltd.com
Email: email@frankholmesltd.com
Office: 07353 184806
Frank: 07761 712843