Enter and be happy

Kelmscott Manor, Oxfordshire A property of the Society of Antiquaries of London A house beloved of William Morris, poet, designer and founding father of the conservation-movement, has been subject to an exacting programme of repair and renovation

- Jeremy Musson

The east front of the manor. The older part (left) is of about 1600, to the right 1660s

THE architecture of Kelmscott Manor is woven into William Morris's 1890 novel, News from Nowhere, in which a journey exploring utopian ideals in a post-industrial world leads, after much wandering, to a 'many-gabled old house built by the simple country-folk of the long-past times. There is no 'extravagant love of ornament' here, only a feeling that the house itself and its associations was the ornament of the country life amidst which it had been left stranded from old times' (Fig 1). It is a poignant vision that underlines both a respect for the past and an ideal of a new society based on mutual interest and support.

Today, this old stone-built farmhouse is best known as the Morrises' country home, from 1871. First leased as a retreat from busy London life, it became a vital point of reference for Morris, as artist, designer and poet; it was his 'Heaven on Earth', and a source of profound emotional and artistic inspiration.

'It became a vital point of reference for Morris, as artist, designer and poet'

Kelmscott Manor re-opened last month, after two years of repair, conservation and refurbishment with Architecton, architects based in Bristol, and specialist builders Ken Biggs Contractors of Bristol. The project was supported by $4.7 million in grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as many others. The property has been owned by the Society of Antiquaries of London since the mid-1960s and new research has helped to recapture the atmosphere of significant rooms, allowing Morris's love of the place to be better appreciated. May Morris, his younger daughter, has also come more into focus; for, alongside her work as artist, embroiderer and educator she was, in effect, an early curator of Kelmscott's interiors.