The origins of the business lie in the history of paint making in Hollins Road Darwen, which can be traced back to the late 1850s.

[1][2] The company traded independently as Walpamur until it acquired by Reed International in 1965.

[3] Queen Elizabeth II visited Crown House, the Walpamur headquarters in Darwen, in 1968.

[6] It was sold in a management buyout backed by the private equity firm Endless in August 2008, in a deal to satisfy the European Union's concerns of a possible monopoly after Akzo Nobel's takeover of ICI.

[7][8] In June 2011, the company was acquired by Danish paints manufacturer, Hempel Group.