The Green Room

This was a bedroom throughout Annie and Merton’s residence, and may have been a guest bedroom, used by the family, in the early years. However, when Annie became ill around 1919 she had to have a full-time nurse in attendance and the only bedroom available was this one. This meant that Annie had to move into Merton’s bedroom, the Red Room, just opposite, to be close to her nurse.

About this time it appears that the room was quickly freshened up, the joinery painted and the walls papered. The only evidence for this is on the west wall behind the door, which was discovered after removing the fitted display case, which was installed after 1922.

It was also discovered that the door, which was missing, had been re-used in the basement as a fire door – with the two central panels replaced with Georgian wire glass and painted in white gloss. Examination of the original paint and the position of the hinges and lock confirmed that it belonged to this room. Some of the door furniture remained but missing elements were replaced with parts that were found in the building.

Because the wallpaper was an unexpected discovery, there were no funds to replicate it. Therefore it was decided to paint the walls a neutral colour, which are covered for the most part, by cases.

The room has been re-named to reflect its colour and is used to display collections from around the world.

Click on the floorplan for the virtual tour to explore the Green Room and further.