Clive Aslet enjoys a small exhibition that captures the spirit of William Morris’s London home and tells the story of its owners
TO William Morris, ‘the most important production of art’ was ‘a beautiful House’, followed by ‘a beautiful Book’. His ideal home, realised at Red House in Bexleyheath, Kent, and Kelmscott Manor in oxfordshire, was in the country, but business took him to London and it was here, in Hammersmith, that he found a terraced house of the 1780s called The Retreat. He renamed it Kelmscott House, after Kelmscott Manor. Both houses are on the Thames and, sometimes, with his powerful physique, he would row between the two.
From 1891, Hammersmith was home to the ‘little typographical adventure’ of the Kelmscott Press. one of the Albion presses that were used to print such sumptuous books as the Kelmscott Chaucer, with 87 woodcut illustrations by Burne-Jones, can be seen in the premises of the William Morris Society, which occupies the basement of the house and its former coach house, where this small display of artefacts is on show.
The society’s title for the exhibition—‘The dear warp and weft at Hammersmith’—is a quote from Morris, referring to the carpet weaving that Morris set up in the coach house. Not that the Morrises were the only remarkable occupants of 26, Upper Mall, to give Kelmscott House its postal address.
This story is from the May 22, 2019 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 22, 2019 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
