Decorated in the late Victorian era this house lay undiscovered until a few years ago when its extraordinary story began to be uncovered.
David Parr was a 'decorator artist' who worked for some of our best known Victorian designers of the day such as William Morris and George Bodley. He decorated churches and palaces for those who could afford such decoration but in his spare time he came home and decorated his humble terrace house in the same style. Lived in by his granddaughter until a few years ago its interior remained a wondrous hidden secret. Now it will be saved, restored and opened up to the public so that many more can enjoy its unique atmosphere.
Tamsin Wimhurst is a Trustee and founder of the David Parr House Charity which was set up in 2014 in order to conserve it and open up the house to the public. Her first job was as a teacher where she spent many an hour taking classes to museums and art galleries. Then when her children were young she developed a business around pre-school music before taking up a job as the Educational Officer of the Folk Museum. Since then she has developed many educational programs, projects and exhibitions, working with a wide variety of communities and organisations in order to help them access their history and encourage an interest in their past. She has researched into a wide variety of things including Laundry work, River swimming, Women workers and Celebrations. She is a passionate supporter of small independent museums, with a special interest in the local where she sees the nation’s history unfold through the lives of individuals and their families.
