Journey of the River Allen illustrated by F&B Senior Creative Designer, Shamus Pitts
Prestigious interiors brand, Farrow & Ball, was founded in Dorset in 1946 and every tin of paint and roll of wallpaper is still produced here today. Based in Wimborne, not far from the bottom of the river, they are a key part of the community covered by the River Allen Landscape Recovery project.
Beyond the factory, Farrow & Ball is widely influenced by the heritage and natural history of this beautiful county in the development of its products. While Purbeck Stone, Lulworth Blue and Wimborne White announce their inspiration clearly on the tin, others are perhaps less obvious.
- Ammonite: A nod to Dorset’s place on the Jurassic Coast and home to world-famous fossil hunters
- St Giles Blue: Inspired by a colour originally found in the hall of 17th century St Giles House in the aptly named Wimborne St Giles
- Mizzle: Although a term used across the UK, sometimes it feels as if Dorset gets more than its fair share of this mix of misty light rain!
- Blooth, Vitty and Wevet: All old Dorset words, meaning ‘blossom’, ‘neat and proper’, and ‘spider’s web’, respectively
As well as being champions of Dorset, Farrow & Ball are champions of sustainability – the first company to switch to entirely water-based paints, their factory and head office are powered by renewable energy, and zero waste is sent to landfill.
Last autumn, Bronwen and Katie worked with the company’s Giving and Growing team, delivering a talk and guided river walk. Realising the close alignment of the goals of the RALR project and the philanthropic work of Farrow and Ball in protecting biodiversity and supporting education, the team chose the River Allen Community Interest Company (CIC) as their charity partner.
Alongside the offer of physical help in restoration projects from staff, Farrow & Ball have agreed to support community engagement through continued financial donations. We are looking forward to further river walks and the building of a long-term relationship with F&B and their staff.
Bronwen with the F&B Giving and Growing team
