St Joseph – Liverpool

History & Brief
St Joseph’s Woolton was designed by the architect E.W. Pugin and built between 1845 – 47 in the Gothic Revival Style. It is listed Grade II*.
The ceiling of the Reception Room retains its original decoration – an ornate stencil design.

Research is required to establish the decorative history of the ceilings in four other rooms within the house areas which may have been decorated in a similar manner:
• The Main Hall (access from First Floor Balcony)
• The Library
• The Dining Room
• The Master Bedroom
The investigation will assess the condition of the original decoration in each room where relevant.

Summary of Findings

The paint investigation of the four ceiling established the original decoration of all four elements:

• The Entrance Hall
The ceiling beds were decorated in a highly ornate manner with coloured lettering in banded beds. One panel bed was partially uncovered. The wooden ceiling ribs and cornice were picked out in Dark Brown (varnished).
• The Library
The carved wooden ceiling bosses and ribs were originally decorated in Dark Brown (varnished). The bosses and ribs were painted in Cream oil paint. At a later date the recesses of the boss were capped with wooden discs. The bosses and ribs were painted in Cream and picked out with red, yellow and gold-leaf.
• The Dining Room (Kitchen)
The bed of the beamed ceiling was originally painted in a thin Brown Brushed Graining. Later the ceiling beds was painted in cream and white oil paints. The ceiling beams and cornice were originally painted in Dark Brown. The stone corbel was originally painted in a Cream/Stone coloured oil paint.
• The Master Bedroom (First Floor)
The ceiling bed were painted in Cream oil paint embellished with a Red pattern lined with black. The cornice was painted in Cream oil paint with the middle-recessed moulding picked out in Red. The second decoration was more ornate – A Cream scheme with the ceiling and cornice picked out in Yellow and Green and Gold-leaf.