Little Greene paint
About Little Greene
Little Greene is an independent, British paint manufacturer, committed to the socially and environmentally responsible production of high quality paints and wallpapers.With records dating back to the year 1773, the Little Greene Dye Works of Collyhurst Wood, on the outskirts of Manchester is one of England's most ancient industrial sites for the making of paints and dye solutions.
The Earl of Derby granted rights for the use of the site as a 'house producing colours' in the 18th century. Joshua Rowlands, the earliest identifiable proprietor of the works, led the development of traditional paints for domestic and industrial use, drawing upon his experience of making dye solutions for the cotton trade.
Situated at the confluence of the rivers Irk and Irwell, the site's popularity over the centuries stemmed from the ready source of fast flowing clean water from the Pennines. This natural resource was used for both motive force to power the paint grinding stones and as a valuable clean ingredient incorporated into the products.
The early paints would have been based on natural resins and pigments, similar in many ways to those used by the great artists of old. The development of synthetic compounds for the colouring of materials during the 19th century provided faster and more efficient production; however many of them were proven not to be as safe or as good as the ones they replaced.
We incorporate many of the materials used in the past for the preparation of the very high quality paints we make today - something Joshua Rowlands would have been both amused about and proud of.
We are particularly proud of our paints’ depth of colour. Reassuringly high pigment levels (over 40% more pigment than many ordinary paints), give Little Greene paints an unequalled depth of colour and a true point of difference.
Little Greene wallpapers are a beautiful complement to the company's paint palette. Each collection resurrects designs found in forgotten archives, employing specialist printing methods on the finest grade papers to give the wallpapers their sophisticated textures, elegant appearance, durability and longevity.
