Wall coverings and decorations go very far back in history, but the earliest use of something like wallpaper is usually traced to the early 15th century.

Before that, there was a long tradition in colder countries of hanging material on walls to prevent draughts and for decoration. Richer people used embroidered tapestries. Wood panels were also popular, and the first wallpaper came from these. It was probably developed by Flemish artisans as a decoration for wood panels, and this developed into making actual panels out of paper, which was cheaper and quicker than wood.

In 1509 some wallpaper was created for Henry VIII, probably by a York printer called Hugo Goes. This is the earliest known example of wallpaper as we would recognise it. At around the same time, wallpaper began to be produced in China too, often with a bird or landscape pattern.

Throughout the 16th century wallpaper became more and more popular as a relatively cheap way to decorate houses and help keep them warm and dry.